Security for doctors: PMA demands Rangers’ picket at Civil hospital

Prof Idrees Adhi lists all the problems at this govt facility.

KARACHI:

A Pakistan Rangers’ check-post must be set up at Civil Hospital, Karachi, to ensure the security of doctors, nurses and paramedics, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has demanded.

On Saturday, PMA Karachi president Prof. Idrees Adhi said that cases of hooliganism have increased at Civil hospital, with doctors and paramedics being the easiest victims. “Two instances with Civil hospital doctors and paramedics subjected to beatings by criminals were reported to the PMA and the hospital administration during the past week,” he said.

The latest case happened after the death of a gunshot victim who died during treatment on Thursday. “The crowd that accompanied the victim appeared to vent their anger at hospital staffers,” he said. Recently, a group of attendants beat up a doctor at the orthopaedic ward of Civil hospital as they wanted preferential treatment, he recalled.

Prof. Adhi said there is an acute shortage of security guards at the hospital and the ones deployed are ill-equipped to deal with criminals.

There must be a ban on the number of attendants allowed with a patient. “Only one attendant should be allowed, others can visit them during prescribed hours,” he said.

He demanded the government immediately install electronic gates at the emergency and accident ward, and the casualty department. These doors should be equipped with a mechanism to check that arms and ammunition are not carried into the hospital.

“The situation is really scary as during night hours, nurses and lady doctors are scared to leave their wards and departments,” he said.

Referring to the large number of attendants from rural areas who have encroached upon the hospital’s open spaces, Dr Adhi said the administration should identify certain buildings where they can stay until the patient is discharged.

Meanwhile, Civil hospital’s medical superintendent Prof. Saeed Qureshi said that the authorities have been informed about the situation and that the security situation at the hospital is likely to improve in the next few days.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2011.