Medical negligence blamed for woman’s death

Victim’s heirs protest unavailability of anti-rabies vaccine

LODHRAN:

An elderly woman who was reportedly mauled by stray dogs died due to alleged medical negligence in Lodhran.

The victim died at Lodhran District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital due to the alleged negligence of the doctors and the unavailability of medicines.

The victim’s heirs protested at the DHQ hospital.

According to the police report, 50-year-old Shamo Mai, a resident of Basti Hasilwala area, was returning home after visiting her relatives.

When she was passing through the graveyard near her home, three or four dogs in the bushes attacked Shamo Mai due to which her neck and lower body was severely injured. Reportedly, the stray dogs during the attack also cut off one of her ears.

The heirs of the victim stated that they shifted the injured woman to Lodhran DHQ Hospital. However, due to the alleged negligence of the doctor present on the spot and the unavailability of suitable medicines, the elderly woman's condition deteriorated and eventually succumbed to her injuries, the heirs claimed.

Meher Ramzan, the brother of the deceased, alleged that after his sister was shifted to the upper ward of the hospital, she was not treated properly.

“We were told to go to the doctor. When we went to him, he told us that his duty was shifted to the ground floor. The staff in the upper ward kept sending us downstairs. To make things worse, the hospital staff on the lower floor did the same and sent us to the upper ward. Due to this negligence by the medical staff, my sister passed away”, the victim’s brother explained.

The victim’s brother demanded of the higher authorities to serve justice for the victim. “We should be provided justice for the loss we have faced after our sister’s death.”

Lodhran DHQ Hospital Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Fazalur Rehman told The Express Tribune that the elderly woman was given complete treatment and injections and she was also bandaged three times. “The dog bit the woman's head and cut off one of her ears. The lower part of the victim’s body was also damaged due to the attack.”

The elderly woman was shifted to the ward in a better condition, the hospital MS had claimed. “All the medical records of the victim are available. Despite this, the women died and there is no negligence on the part of our hospital staff.”

Deputy Commissioner Imran Qureshi formed an inquiry committee to investigate the treatment given to the victim at the DHQ hospital.

The inquiry committee consists of District Health Authority CEO Dr Sajjad, the district health officer and the Lodhran DHQ MS deputy.

The committee will submit a report. The inquiry committee will also investigate whether the patient died due to non-availability of anti-rabies vaccine or the negligence of the doctors on duty at the hospital.

Incidents of dog bites involving deaths and serious injuries were not uncommon in the province.

On August 21, Satghara police booked a land owner whose pet dog mauled five girls near a suburban village of Okara.

On July 11, a six-year-old boy died after being bitten by a stray dog at Lahore's Yasmeen Park.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2021.