Seven Mayo doctors suspended for neglect: Death of a girl
LAHORE, July 9: The Punjab Health Department on Wednesday suspended seven doctors, including a senior registrar of the Mayo Hospital, from service for their ‘gross negligence’ in treating a female patient that resulted in her death.
Sadaf Munir, an intermediate student of the Government Ayesha Degree College Ravi Road, who had stomach complications, was brought to the Mayo Hospital on June 19. She died a few hours after she was admitted to the hospital because of, what her father Munir Mughal calls, non-serious attitude of doctors on duty.
On the protest of the victim’s family, the hospital administration then assured them that the matter would be thoroughly investigated. However, the probe was initiated ‘swiftly’ when Munir appeared in an ‘open court’ held by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and pleaded for justice.
A three-member committee comprising King Edward Medical University Prof of Medicine Dr Javed Akram (chairman), Prof Mushtaq Ahmed and Mayo Hospital AMS Dr Abdul Majid was constituted to probe the matter.
According to a source in the health department, the committee on Wednesday submitted its report to Health Secretary Anwaar Ahmed Khan, who ordered suspension of the seven doctors held responsible for the patient’s death in its findings.
The doctors are: Rabia Rathore (senior registrar), Muhammad Zaheer, Muhammad Nazim, Ms Afshan, Mansoor Ahmed, Rabia Habib and Muhammad Mohsin. According to the committee’s findings, the doctors on duty ‘did not attend Sadaf properly’, besides failing to diagnose the disease. Before being brought to the Mayo Hospital, she was taken to a private facility near her house in Shahdara. The private hospital reported her blood count 21,000 while the Mayo Hospital laboratory put it at 7,000, but the doctors even did not take that big difference seriously.
The report further revealed that when patient’s condition deteriorated, she was put on laryngoscope (an equipment to insert the breathing tube) which was out of order.
The committee finalised its recommendations after recording the statements of 32 persons.
Prof Javed Akram confirmed negligence on the part of doctors on duty. Giving details of the suggestions the committee had given, he said the ‘bureaucratic style’ referral system in the emergencies of major hospitals in Punjab was one of the main hurdles in providing treatment to patients and that must be removed.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/10/2008
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