Abbasi Shaheed Hospital attack: Five doctors suspended for negligence and not being on duty

A committee will conduct an inquiry and submit a report within three days.

KARACHI:

Five doctors, including the medical superintendent of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), were suspended on Thursday for negligence in administrative affairs, being absent from their duties and not being able to control the situation on Wednesday when residents of Baldia Town attacked the hospital.

An FIR was also registered against the men who attacked different departments of the hospital, including the emergency ward and operation theatre, and damaged expensive equipment.

On Wednesday evening, nearly a dozen people from Baldia Town reached the hospital and claimed that a patient identified as Shakeel had died due to the doctor’s negligence.

The hospital staff, patients and their attendants were attacked inside the wards and in the main reception area. “They were armed with sticks and weapons,” said one of the doctors while talking to The Express Tribune. “The staff was under threat. There was no security.” He added that everyone was shouting and no one was sure who the people were or why they were being attacked.

The mob staged a protest outside the hospital and remained there for about two hours till the police made them go away.

“An inquiry has been initiated,” said Karachi Administrator Rauf Akhtar Farooqui. “This is the first time that a patient has died due to negligence of the doctors and the people responded by attacking the hospital.” He added that such occurences were unacceptable.

According to Farooqui, Medical Superintendent Dr Nadeem Rajput and other doctors had reached the hospital when the staff made phone calls to them. He said that a committee will submit its report about the incident while a charge-sheet will be also be issued to those who were responsible.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2014.