Injured victim of robbery incident dies at public hospital

Family blames lack of emergency facilities, including oxygen, for youth’s death

KARACHI:

The Sir Syed police have registered the case involving the murder of a young man by armed bandits in North Karachi. The bereaved family has blamed absence of adequate treatment facilities at a public hospital for the death of the victim, identified as Umar Javed.

The FIR was registered on the complaint of Amir Ali, the elder brother of the deceased, under Sections 394, 393, and 34 against unidentified individuals who fatally shot the youth during a robbery near the Shell petrol pump in Sector 11-A, North Karachi.

According to the complainant, they were returning home from their jobs. Amir Ali was pillion-riding on motorcycle with Umar Javed. Near the Shell petrol pump, two gunmen also riding a motorcycle tried to intercept them.

Dressed in shalwar qameez, the assailants kicked their motorcycle, causing them to fall. In response, Umar Javed tried to apprehend the robbers, but bandits opened fire, critically injuring him. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

Family of the deceased youth alleged that the lack of emergency treatment at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital was a contributing factor to Umar's death. Owais Gul, a cousin of the victim, expressed these concerns when he received Umar's body from the KKF morgue in New Karachi.

He recalled that his injured cousin was in urgent need of oxygen and was having difficulty in breathing, but no oxygen was available in the operation theatre. Many emergency equipment were also not available in the OT, he claimed.

Meanwhile, the video of ASH also has gone viral on social media, which shows the injured people in the hospital’s accident ward but the doctors and other staff are absent.

The video was shot by one of the attendees of an injured patient.

According to the footage, injured was left to suffer alone in the pain with no medical assistance provided. Later, the family members shifted the injured to a private hospital.

Commenting on the video, Medical Superintendent of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Naseem Ahmed, stated that the injured person was provided dextrose infustion while other treatment was yet to be started, but the family members created panic.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2023.