Biopsy blunder at PIMS claims patient's life

Woman dies after doctors allegedly performed biopsy on her liver instead of lung

ISLAMABAD:

A grave case of alleged negligence occurred at Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, where a woman admitted for lung treatment lost her life due to a wrong medical procedure. Instead of performing a biopsy on the lungs of a woman suffering from a pulmonary disease, doctors mistakenly carried out a biopsy on her liver.

The matter was exposed after the samples sent to a private laboratory revealed the shocking truth. The relatives of the deceased patient have filed a formal application with the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority. The petition holds Head of Pulmonology Department Dr Muhammad Israr, Dr Haroon Ashraf Khan, along with other doctors and staff present in the procedure room, directly responsible for the tragic incident.

Hospital sources told The Express Tribune that the patient, identified as Abida Parveen, was a resident of Dadyal in Azad Kashmir and had been suffering from a chronic lung ailment. She was admitted to the Pulmonology Department of PIMS Hospital on December 9 for specialised medical care and further evaluation of her condition.

According to sources, Head of Pulmonology Department Dr Muhammad Israr decided that a lung biopsy was necessary to determine the exact nature of her disease. On December 16, the biopsy procedure was performed at PIMS Hospital under the supervision of the department doctors. However, only a few hours after the procedure, Abida Parveen suddenly passed away in the hospital, leaving her family in deep grief and shock. Later, when the biopsy report was received from a private diagnostic facility, it contained a startling disclosure that uncovered the entire matter.

The laboratory report clearly stated that the tissue samples sent by PIMS Hospital doctors were not from the lungs but were from the liver of the patient. This revelation confirmed that the doctors had performed the biopsy on the wrong organ, indicating extreme professional incompetence and procedural failure. Following receipt of the report, the relatives of the deceased woman immediately approached the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority and submitted a formal written complaint seeking action against those responsible for the fatal mistake.

The family has attached all documentary evidence with their application, including hospital-issued slips, medical treatment records, procedure forms, and laboratory test reports. Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority officials, upon receiving the complaint, initiated an immediate inquiry into the case and began the process of legal and departmental scrutiny.

Kashif Butt, the son of the deceased patient, while talking to The Express Tribune, demanded transparent investigations from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and urged that justice be provided to the aggrieved family without delay.

He stated that individuals involved in criminal negligence must be brought before the law and punished according to rules and regulations. He further said that no family should suffer due to such irresponsible acts by government hospital doctors.

Attempts were made to contact PIMS Hospital spokesperson Dr Mubashir Daha to obtain the hospital's official stance on the matter, but he could not be reached despite repeated efforts.