Sindh CM orders inquiry into attack on doctors

Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah says violence against healthcare workers will not be tolerated

KARACHI: Taking the notice of the assault on the medical staff of the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi on Friday night, Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident, said Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Sunday.

A charged mob had vandalised the hospital and attacked the hospital staff, reportedly angered by the death of a patient and delays in handing over the body after due procedures.

"Our doctors, nurses, and paramedics are risking their lives to save the lives of others. Such violence against them will not be tolerated," he said. "If people had a grievance against the medical staff, they should have talked to the administration instead of attacking them."

The provincial minister stated that a case had been registered about the incident and the culprits involved in the attack would be dealt with according to the law.

"Health workers at government hospitals should not feel alone, the government is standing by them," he assured medical professionals, many of whom had protested and demanded security after the attack.

Meanwhile, he reiterated that Prime Minister Imran Khan did not act in time when the first coronavirus case emerged in the country on February 26; instead, he pointed out, the premier had only called the first meeting regarding the pandemic on March 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2020.