The Joint Action Committee of Doctors (JACD) warned on Wednesday that doctors would close down hospitals and clinics if the police continue to lodge FIRs against their colleagues without consulting a commission proposed for handling such cases. The JACD demanded that the provincial government should suspend all station house officers (SHOs), who had registered such cases against doctors, while an ordinance formulated to stop the police from registering cases without the commission’s consultation.
In press statement, JACD president Dr Idrees Adhi expressed serious reservations over the direct registration of cases against on-duty doctors or physicians in case of any mishap. “There should be a commission to investigate such issues and all cases must be lodged after consultations with the commission,” said the JACD president. “It has become usual practice that whenever any mishap occurs, the relatives and other people gather at the hospital. They create a hostile atmosphere, resulting in mob attacks that not only destroy hospital property, but also threaten the lives of medical professionals.
In case of death or any complications – that are part of medical practice – the relatives of the victim register an FIR against the doctor straightaway, which is unbearable,” stated Adhi. “Under political pressure, the police also register cases against doctors without any hesitation and that is followed by the arrest of healthcare professionals and then the almost never-ending process of going to the courts,” he said, adding, “It gives the impression that life and death is in the hands of a doctor, which is not true.”
Describing that the difficult situation has made it very complicated for the doctors, Adhi was of the view that deaths and complications are part of treatment. “There are known serious complications in all medical and surgical procedures, and a very simple case can get complicated any time,” he went on to justify. He demanded that no prosecution or legal proceedings shall be initiated against the healthcare provider until allowed by the commission related to healthcare provision. “We never support negligence but that needs to be proved scientifically,” he said.
He said the Sindh chief minister had promised that an ordinance would be formulated to curb such cases but nothing has been done so far. “All those SHOs who have registered cases against doctors should be suspended immediately and police authorities must be directed not to register cases, otherwise we will close all public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the province,” warned Adhi.
