Family seeks justice after woman's fatal surgery

Medic accuses patient's family of seizing mobile phone, medical file

RAWALPINDI:

The family of a 28-year-old woman, who passed away shortly after undergoing gallbladder surgery at a private hospital in Rawalpindi, has blamed the doctor, a retired army officer, for death, demanding justice from both the Prime Minister and the Punjab Chief Minister.

The deceased's family and the hospital's surgeon, Dr Azhar Iqbal, have levelled serious accusations against each other and filed separate complaints with the police. Dr Iqbal, a retired colonel, has filed a report with the Cantt police, accusing the patient's family of threatening him, seizing his mobile phone and the patient's medical file, damaging hospital property, and harassing both doctors and patients.

In their video statements and formal complaints, the patient's family accused the private hospital and Dr Iqbal of negligence. The husband of the deceased has also filed a police complaint against both the doctor and the hospital's administration.

The police, however, have referred the matter to the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), citing that the case falls outside their jurisdiction and advising the affected parties to pursue the matter with the PMC for further action.

Mobile phone videos taken by the victim's family show accusations from the patient's father, husband, and other relatives, claiming that Dr Iqbal was responsible for Fiza's death. Usama Ishaq, the deceased woman's husband, reported to the police in a written complaint that he took his wife to the hospital for gallbladder surgery after paying the required fees.

Usama alleged that his wife's death was caused by the "negligence" of Dr Iqbal and the hospital staff and demanded justice from the prime minister and the chief minister.

In contrast, Dr Iqbal filed a formal complaint with the police, stating that on March 8, the hospital received a call from Usama regarding his wife's gallbladder issue, leading to the surgery.

The patient had previously undergone a procedure at the hospital for three heart stents and was on blood-thinning medication, which had been stopped three days before surgery. The surgery was successful, but due to the blood-thinning medication, a tube was inserted to drain fluid from her abdomen.

Approximately 12 to 15 hours post-surgery, 1,500 millilitres of blood was drained from the tube. Dr Iqbal instructed the attending doctor and tried to contact the patient's husband, who allegedly responded with threats and verbal abuse.

Dr Iqbal further stated that on March 9, he visited the patient and provided Rs30,000 for blood and other expenses as financial aid. On March 10, the patient's condition showed improvement, and she was discharged.

However, the family remained in the hospital, continuing to irrigate the patient's abdomen with the drainage tube, which caused bleeding to resume.

She was then transferred to the ICU and, after consulting with senior doctors and obtaining the family's consent, another surgery was performed successfully. The patient was moved back to the ICU, but soon suffered a cardiac arrest and died.

Dr Iqbal also stated in his complaint that the patient's family had been continuously abusive and threatening. After the death, the family allegedly seized his mobile phone and the patient's medical file, assaulted him, and forcibly took the body despite resistance from security.

Meanwhile, the police have clarified that the case is outside their jurisdiction because the funeral was conducted without a post-mortem. The matter has thus been referred to the PMC, with both parties advised to pursue the issue with the commission. Legal action will be considered based on the findings of the PMC's investigation.