An additional district and sessions judge fixed February 3 for a petition against Dr Amir Aziz for alleged negligence in the case of a patient who died after an operation. The petition seeks to set aside an order of the Punjab Healthcare Commission that acquitted Dr Aziz.
The petitioner Qamar-uz-Zaman said Dr Aziz, an orthopedic surgeon at SurgiMed Hospital, had operated on his daughter’s spinal cord on September 18, 2012. He discharged her after three days with the assurance that she would recover within a few days. After 15 days, she developed a severe backache. When her wound became swollen, Dr Aziz said it would improve within a few days. The following day, Dr Aziz’s assistant Dr Rizwan examined her and directed them to get an MRI.
After receiving the test reports, Dr Rizwan told the patients’ parents that the swelling was the result of the operating doctor not putting a drain pipe. They discussed Dr Rizwan’s opinion with Dr Aziz who immediately operated on the patient and placed a drain pipe. The patient then lost movement in her legs. She was discharged on November 13, 2012 and died on November 16.
Dr Aziz said a drain pipe was not used in a Fenestration DISC operation. This was supported by another expert’s opinion who confirmed that putting a drain in such operations was not routine. The health commission concluded that Dr Aziz was not responsible for the patient’s death.
The petitioner asked the court to set aside the health commission’s order and sought to register a case against Dr Aziz for negligence leading to the death of his daughter.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2014.
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