Doctor denies 4-year-old was killed due to wrong injection
Police have taken the doctor into custody but will release him soon as family has refused to pursue the case
Police have taken the doctor into custody but will release him soon as family has refused to pursue the case. PHOTO: REUTERS
KARACHI:
Days after the case of nine-month Nashwa surfaced, another minor girl was allegedly killed after being administered the wrong injection in a private clinic in Korangi. In this case, however, the doctor denies any wrongdoing and claims the child died of natural causes.
The latest victim of alleged medical negligence, four-year-old Razia, was brought to Dr Imran's clinic on Saturday due to a high fever, said the victim's father, Akhtar, a resident of Bilal Colony in Korangi. "The doctor did not listen to me though I had asked him if it was necessary to administer the injection," said the father. Subsequently, Razia was taken home, but her health started to deteriorate on Sunday night and she passed away soon after.
The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities the same night. When the police were informed of the incident, they contacted the family, who initially wanted to register the case but later refused.
Akhtar alleged that his daughter died as a result of a reaction to the injection administered at the clinic. According to Korangi Industrial Area SHO Aurangzeb Khattak, police have taken Dr Imran into custody, but the victim's father had refused to allow the post-mortem as well as any police action.
JMPC medico-legal officer Dr Zakia said that they did not carry out the post-mortem, taking the father's refusal into consideration. According to the MLO, the post-mortem cannot be conducted without permission of the heirs or guardian of the deceased.
"We will wait for 24 hours," said the SHO. "In case of no action from the heirs, we will release the doctor after checking his degree," he added.
Doctor's claims
Meanwhile, the doctor claims that the child was brought to his clinic by her mother on Saturday evening. At the time, she was running a high fever and had an infection in her chest and throat, for which she was administered an injection. "The injection proved effective for a while," Dr Imran claimed, "adding that the child was taken home after her fever subsided a little."
His version was corroborated by Razia's father, who said that the minor had been down with fever for the past four to five days. He added, however, that Razia was also suffering from measles, something that Dr Imran refutes.
"There were no symptoms associated with measles on her face and body," Dr Imran told The Express Tribune. The doctor reasoned that if a wrong injection had been administered, the child would have had an immediate reaction.
According to Razia's mother, she was getting better for over 24 hours after the injection, before her condition deteriorated. Subsequently, the parents took her to at least three other doctors, but her condition couldn't be stabilised and she passed away on Sunday night.
According to Dr Imran, he completed his MBBS in 2016 and had also performed duties as a house job officer for a year and worked at another hospital for six months. "I am a qualified and licensed physician," he said, adding that he was now preparing for a postgraduate degree.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2019.
Days after the case of nine-month Nashwa surfaced, another minor girl was allegedly killed after being administered the wrong injection in a private clinic in Korangi. In this case, however, the doctor denies any wrongdoing and claims the child died of natural causes.
The latest victim of alleged medical negligence, four-year-old Razia, was brought to Dr Imran's clinic on Saturday due to a high fever, said the victim's father, Akhtar, a resident of Bilal Colony in Korangi. "The doctor did not listen to me though I had asked him if it was necessary to administer the injection," said the father. Subsequently, Razia was taken home, but her health started to deteriorate on Sunday night and she passed away soon after.
The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities the same night. When the police were informed of the incident, they contacted the family, who initially wanted to register the case but later refused.
Akhtar alleged that his daughter died as a result of a reaction to the injection administered at the clinic. According to Korangi Industrial Area SHO Aurangzeb Khattak, police have taken Dr Imran into custody, but the victim's father had refused to allow the post-mortem as well as any police action.
JMPC medico-legal officer Dr Zakia said that they did not carry out the post-mortem, taking the father's refusal into consideration. According to the MLO, the post-mortem cannot be conducted without permission of the heirs or guardian of the deceased.
"We will wait for 24 hours," said the SHO. "In case of no action from the heirs, we will release the doctor after checking his degree," he added.
Doctor's claims
Meanwhile, the doctor claims that the child was brought to his clinic by her mother on Saturday evening. At the time, she was running a high fever and had an infection in her chest and throat, for which she was administered an injection. "The injection proved effective for a while," Dr Imran claimed, "adding that the child was taken home after her fever subsided a little."
His version was corroborated by Razia's father, who said that the minor had been down with fever for the past four to five days. He added, however, that Razia was also suffering from measles, something that Dr Imran refutes.
"There were no symptoms associated with measles on her face and body," Dr Imran told The Express Tribune. The doctor reasoned that if a wrong injection had been administered, the child would have had an immediate reaction.
According to Razia's mother, she was getting better for over 24 hours after the injection, before her condition deteriorated. Subsequently, the parents took her to at least three other doctors, but her condition couldn't be stabilised and she passed away on Sunday night.
According to Dr Imran, he completed his MBBS in 2016 and had also performed duties as a house job officer for a year and worked at another hospital for six months. "I am a qualified and licensed physician," he said, adding that he was now preparing for a postgraduate degree.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2019.