Frequent protests, strikes irk capital’s patients

PMC urges patients to file direct complaints against rude doctors

ISLAMABAD: Patients and visitors at the largest tertiary care hospital in the federal capital on Sunday complained that they had to face several difficulties in accessing health assistance due to routine strikes of doctors and nursing staff.

They urged the administration of the hospital to take notice of the routine absence of doctors and paramedical staff in different sections due to their political activities. Further, they stated that many patients who visit here from other parts of the country with different medical complications had to move to private hospitals due to day-long agitation related activities of doctors.

"Doctors should raise their voice for their genuine demands but they must realize the sufferings of patients who are refused treatment because of their strike," said Naseem Alam, a patient at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

He appealed doctors to serve the ailing rather than spending time in agitations and protests for political gains. Alam further urged that the hospital administration understand the problems of incoming patients and the attitude the doctors adopt during their episodic protests.

Another patient, Saleem Baig said, that during protests earlier this month, "some representatives of junior doctors had clearly communicated us to move to any other hospital to seek treatment as no doctor will tend to them at that time."

He expressed his reservations over the regular nature of protests by doctors at major hospitals of the federal capital and appealed to the relevant quarters to make certain laws to discourage this practice.

Baig said that the critical task of patient care should not be given to those who do not know about professional ethics and norms, adding that doctors should not refuse to tend to their duties towards patients.

Waseem Khalid, a patient, said that even though several complaints have been submitted to the hospital administration over rising increasing incidents of misbehaviour with patients by trainee doctors, the hospital was reluctant to take any action on those applications.

"Under professional ethics, medical practitioners are bound to avoid any discriminatory attitude or exploiting vulnerable situations in the hospital," said Aamir Nazeer, a resident of the federal capital.

He said under the code of ethics prepared by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) for medical practitioners, gross negligence with respect to professional duties, may lead to suspension or removal from services.

"Junior doctors must ensure that they do not indulge in any untoward incident which negatively impacts indirectly on patient care either directly or indirectly and that their political activities must never interfere with patients' treatment in any way," said Shoaib Kaleem, a patient

He said they should adopt a polite behaviour towards patients and guide them properly, rather than being rough with them.

"The PMC is committed to regulate the standards of medical practice, protect the interests of the patients, supervise medical education, and give guidelines on ethical issues," stressed an official of the recently-formed PMC while reacting to the alleged ignorance of the code of ethics by doctors at Pims.

He said the code of ethics provides a set of principles, which doctors can use as guidelines, in line with their judgment, experience, knowledge and skills. In case of receiving any complaint regarding negligence, misbehaviour and malpractice of doctors, the commission will take strict action against medical practitioners, he added.

The official advised citizens to report their complaints against doctors directly to the PMC.

When contacted, an official from Pims insisted that patient care was the top priority of the hospital’s management and that every doctor and member of the nursing staff was responsible to fulfil due responsibilities.

He said there were clear instructions for all medical practitioners and nursing staff to give the best treatment to patients at the hospital and there was a zero-tolerance policy for any negligence in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2019.