Two-member panel to probe appendix patient’s condition

Committee to present report within three days

RAWALPINDI: Authorities at the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital (BBGH) have formed a two-member inquiry committee to investigate the case of a patient whose appendix burst before he could be operated upon. The two-member committee will comprise  the Additional Medical Superintendent (AMS) Dr Asif Chauhan and Deputy Medical Superintended (DPS) Dr Inayat.

The committee has been directed to present its report within three days to the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the hospital.

The alleged incident of malpractice and negligence of doctors came to light on Monday, March 12 after which a drastic change was observed in the attitude of the hospital’s medical staff with their patients.

However, sources revealed that a female doctor was seen complaining to the patient’s family, who was an alleged victim of negligence, for exposing the case to the media.

Black day at BBH

Doctors and paramedics at the BBGH on Tuesday observed a black day to protest against the proposed Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Framework Bill and the alleged political victimization of the hospital’s former medical superintendent Dr Tariq Niazi.

The day was observed on the call of Young Doctors Association (YDA) and participating medical practitioners tied black bands around their arms in a sign of protest.

Further, YDA officials at BBGH including the association’s president Dr Rana Muhammad Azeem, Dr Abrar Mian, Dr Waqar, Dr Anwar Ali, Dr Mohsin Shahid, and Dr Hassan Parvez rejected the proposed MTI law, warning that the imposition of the law will adversely impact medical services in public hospitals.

The also condemned the political victimisation of doctors in the hospital and called for restoring Dr Niazi to his post.

Dengue discovery

The Rawalpindi District Administration (RDA) has expressed concerns over the presence of dengue larvae in different union councils (UCs) of the city amid a change in the weather.

The district authorities, however, have responded in the only way they know how — by calling for further anti-dengue campaigns but in a more organised manner while the administration has expressed its satisfaction on the report of zero dengue cases in the hospitals.

Further, the district administration has issued directions to target stagnant pools of water apart from destroying old, worn-out tyres which offer sanctuary for larvae to grow.

During a meeting of the District Emergency Response Committee for Dengue, chaired by the Headquarters Additional Deputy Commissioner Saima Younas, District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Rashid Khan said that during the indoor vector surveillance from March 5 to March 11, 331 teams had inspected as many as 64,588 houses in Chakala and Rawalpindi Cantonment Boards, Potohar Town (Urban) and Rawal Town.

Of these, 14 houses were found to be positive.

Similarly,  as per the outdoor surveillance report, some 258 teams inspected around 56,034 spots in these areas of which only one was found to be positive.

Younas critically analyzed anti-dengue activities and said that the change in weather could be a reason for larvae growth. However, she said that there should be a greater focus on outdoor activities to curb the dengue in the upcoming season.

She further expressed concerns on the recovery of dengue larvae in different areas and added that apart from cleanliness, the government should speed up the awareness campaign regarding the prevention of dengue growth.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2019.