Alleged medical negligence: Relatives of deceased man vandalise Services Hospital emergency ward
Dozens of people set on fire furniture at the Services Hospital emergency ward on Monday night after a patient died at the hospital.
Muhammad Asif, aged 45, was brought to ward after being injured in a traffic accident near Mozang. A doctor who had treated Asif told The Express Tribune, on condition of anonymity, that Asif had been seriously injured in the accident.
“X-Rays showed fractures,” he told The Tribune. He was started on IV fluids and given painkillers. Despite a team of doctors working on Asif, the doctor said, his heart went into an arrest at around 10:30pm. The doctors pronounced him dead at around 11:15pm. Following the patient’s death, some of his relatives threatened the doctors and accused them of negligence.
The doctors left the ward but the attendants set fire to some of the furniture, said the doctor.
“Police came about half an hour later but the first contingent was unable to control the relatives,” he said, adding that they requested for reinforcement. “It took them an hour to control the situation,” he added.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday constituted a committee to probe into the incident. He directed the committee to complete the investigation at the earliest and “submit a report to him so that strict action could be taken against those responsible for this incident,” a statement issued by the DGPR stated.
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) condemned the incident. “The chief minister should not have constituted a new committee to probe the matter when there is a healthcare commission,” PMA Punjab Secretary General Dr Abrar Ashraf said. Ashraf demanded that an FIR must be registered against the men who damaged government property and interfered with the doctors’ performing their duties.
He said if those responsible for such incidents were not punished, people would continue to vandalise hospitals.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2012.
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if the relatives of the patient knew the right treatment then why they came to the hospital, they should have treated him on their own. this is a common practice to immediately blame the doctors without inquiry. after such a major trauma one can go in cardiac arrest. doctors are always there to give the best treatment available. i went many times to the emergency departments of various hospitals and i was always satisfied regarding the treatment by doctors. inquiry should be done and if found guilty the doctor should be treated what so ever the law says. but as there is already enough evidence of damage of property by reletives of the patient, they should be arrested immediately and punished so that this practice ends in pakistan by setting an example.
Irrespective who is right or wrong, the persons who vandalize the EMERGENCY DEPT EQUIPMENT must pay and case to be registered for damaging public property against them first after inquiry who ever is found guilty must face the music.