Pindi hospital moves to address attendant’s complaints

Holy Faimly Hospital forms team to resolve any conflict

RAWALPINDI: A rapid response force (RRF) has been formed at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) to manage and control conflicts between patients and doctors and paramedical staff.

The team has been tasked and entrusted to address the any given complaint within five minutes and ensure resolution of the conflict, HFH Medical Superintendent Dr Shahzad Ahmed told Daily Express.



The recurrent incidents of fights between patients’ attendants and HFH staff were behind the hospital administration’s decision to set up a team to intervene and resolve the issue.

The priority of the RRF will be to resolve the complaint of the patient, however it will also ensure protection of the doctors, paramedics and other staff of the hospital.

The seven-member team comprise a deputy medical superintendent in-charge of the administration, two supervisors, two security guards, a police officer and a nursing in-charge.

The administration has prepared formal standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the rapid response force according to which the team’s first priority would be to address the complaint of the patient or his attendant. After resolving the issue within five minutes, the team would submit its report to the hospital’s medical superintendent. Security would also be provided at the duty rooms of the lady doctors as well as other critical areas.

MS Dr Shahzad Ahmed said: “Patients are the hospital’s first priority. Patients must be ensured timely treatment, in a humane manner free from any unnecessary delays so that their attendants do not get involved in any conflict with the doctors and the paramedical staff.”

However, he emphasised that the patients and their attendants must also extend their support to the administration. He also said that the rapid response force in addition to resolving the conflicts must also tender a report to the medical superintendent explaining causes of the maltreatment.

Meanwhile, the Young Doctors Association (YDA) has said that two incidents of attacks on doctors in hospitals by patients’ attendants in a week are enough to justify the association’s demand for providing security.

YDA Punjab top officials Dr Haider Akhter and Dr Maroof Vaince said that in Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Holy Family Hospital attendants attacked and tortured the doctors and paramedics when their critically ill patients expired.



They said the hospital staff needs assurance of security to continue working without fear. They said that formulating SOPs for security was a positive step. However, there should be security gates at the entry and exit points of the hospitals. Moreover, people coming to hospitals should be made aware of their responsibilities and consequences of taking law into their hands.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2018.