Medical complexity: Deceased patient’s family accuses doctors of malpractice
Case to be registered after post-mortem report.
Benazir Bhutto Hospital admin unable to trace culprits. PHOTO: NNI
ABBOTABAD:
A complaint has been filed with the Cantt police station by the family of a patient who died on Sunday due to alleged negligence on part of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Teaching Hospital’s staff.
Alleged negligence
According to Malik Zafar and Sardar Qayum, residents of Thathi Chatarnath village, Malik Jehangir, 51, a close relative, was taken to Benazir hospital in Abbottabad with gangrene in one foot on Sunday afternoon. Casualty medical officer (CMO) Dr Imtiaz Shah examined him and referred him to the surgical ward to get admitted.
The complainants claimed when they took Jehangir to the surgical ward, a doctor and a nurse administered a drip and gave him a tablet. However, soon after, the patient’s condition worsened and he lost consciousness.
“When we called the doctor on duty, she shifted Jehangir to the cardiac care unit,” said one of the relatives. He added, however, the CCU staff conducted an electrocardiogram which suggested he had died before reaching the CCU.
The reaction
The family members protested and blocked Murree Road, hindering all traffic. However, after intervention by the police, they unblocked the road. They then filed a complaint against CMO Shah, the CCU doctor and her support staff.
On the directives of the police, a post-mortem of the deceased was conducted by senior doctors of the hospital and specimens collected from the patient were sent to a laboratory in Lahore for forensic analysis.
According to Cantt SHO Pervez Khan, the forensic results will assist in establishing the cause of death and will determine if a case will be registered.
The other side
When contacted, Medical Superintendent Dr Minhaj confirmed Jehangir died at the hospital Sunday evening but denied any negligence on part of the staff.
He said the patient was diabetic, hypertensive and had gangrene in his left foot. “The CMO referred him to the surgical ward where he was given required care to stabilise his condition,” said Minhaj. He added, however, the patient died suddenly, the reasons for which will be determined by the post-mortem. “Cardiac arrest seems the most likely reason so far since jehangir was diabetic and had low glucose levels,” he said.
Minhaj said if there was any negligence on part of his hospital staff, legal action would be taken against them without any favouritism. “I have asked the Abbottabad deputy commissioner to look into the matter and seek help from a third party such as a judicial magistrate in order to avoid any biases,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2015.
A complaint has been filed with the Cantt police station by the family of a patient who died on Sunday due to alleged negligence on part of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Teaching Hospital’s staff.
Alleged negligence
According to Malik Zafar and Sardar Qayum, residents of Thathi Chatarnath village, Malik Jehangir, 51, a close relative, was taken to Benazir hospital in Abbottabad with gangrene in one foot on Sunday afternoon. Casualty medical officer (CMO) Dr Imtiaz Shah examined him and referred him to the surgical ward to get admitted.
The complainants claimed when they took Jehangir to the surgical ward, a doctor and a nurse administered a drip and gave him a tablet. However, soon after, the patient’s condition worsened and he lost consciousness.
“When we called the doctor on duty, she shifted Jehangir to the cardiac care unit,” said one of the relatives. He added, however, the CCU staff conducted an electrocardiogram which suggested he had died before reaching the CCU.
The reaction
The family members protested and blocked Murree Road, hindering all traffic. However, after intervention by the police, they unblocked the road. They then filed a complaint against CMO Shah, the CCU doctor and her support staff.
On the directives of the police, a post-mortem of the deceased was conducted by senior doctors of the hospital and specimens collected from the patient were sent to a laboratory in Lahore for forensic analysis.
According to Cantt SHO Pervez Khan, the forensic results will assist in establishing the cause of death and will determine if a case will be registered.
The other side
When contacted, Medical Superintendent Dr Minhaj confirmed Jehangir died at the hospital Sunday evening but denied any negligence on part of the staff.
He said the patient was diabetic, hypertensive and had gangrene in his left foot. “The CMO referred him to the surgical ward where he was given required care to stabilise his condition,” said Minhaj. He added, however, the patient died suddenly, the reasons for which will be determined by the post-mortem. “Cardiac arrest seems the most likely reason so far since jehangir was diabetic and had low glucose levels,” he said.
Minhaj said if there was any negligence on part of his hospital staff, legal action would be taken against them without any favouritism. “I have asked the Abbottabad deputy commissioner to look into the matter and seek help from a third party such as a judicial magistrate in order to avoid any biases,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2015.