Lawmakers should legislate to provide legal protection to doctors, nurses and other paramedics in case of a patient’s death, said panellists comprising medical and legal experts during the inaugural ceremony of the three-day 7th Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) and Medical College Symposium.
The panellists that included King Edward Medical University Dean Prof Tariq Salahuddin, Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, educationist Mehtab Akbar Rashdi and Murshid Hospital CEO Dr Sattar Jaffer were of the view that the media should not create unnecessary hype in serious cases.
They said the main issue is violence, which prevails in all segments of society, and the reaction of people in such cases is due to mistrust between doctors and patients that needs to be wisely bridged.
They also said lodging a case under Section 302 against doctors in case of a patient’s death is legally wrong.
Doctors cannot discharge their duties with the peace of mind in an insecure condition, whereas young doctors are too reluctant to work in such a panicky state.
Justice Zahid said the conviction rate of people attacking doctors is very low, as hardly 2 percent are convicted in these cases.
He said there is a need to improve the law-enforcement and justice system for the protection of healthcare providers.
Stressing the need to develop trust between doctors and patients, he said a guideline should be devised to serve the purpose.
Rashdi said doctors are an easy target in the Pakistani society, and they are increasingly becoming victims at the hands of the patients’ attendants.
She suggested restricting media coverage of sensitive cases, which stir the people’s sentiments without ascertaining the truth, and said sensationalism should be brought to an end.
Former CPLC chief Jameel Yousaf said the media highlights positive and constructive things less, but it projects the negative things to a greater extent.
Renowned health expert Shershah Syed said serving humanity no more remains a priority of doctors; however, no profession is free from greed, and doctors are also a part of this society.
Karachi University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Qaiser said medical bodies should play their due role in the protection of doctors by approaching the authorities concerned.
Commenting on the symposium’s theme, he said doctors’ protection is a burning issue, and thus, it needs to be seriously addressed.
He also said doctors, nurses and other paramedics working in private and government hospitals need protection under a legislation, which should be devised at the earliest.
He was optimistic that the government would take some pragmatic steps to safeguard those associated with the medical profession.
Expressing his concern, he said incidents of violence against doctors have become routine, which has resulted in distressed relationships between doctors and patients.
He said besides making doctors suffer when they are attacked, patients have to suffer as well when these incidents interrupt the doctors’ services.
Qaiser said LNH had started out as a small hospital, but it has grown by leaps and bounds, and is now one of the major medical institutions of the country.
The hospital not only has a well-developed infrastructure, but also a qualified team of doctors, he added.
LNH Medical Director Dr Salman Faridi gave a detailed presentation on the past, present and future of the hospital, and recalled its achievements and developments during its 60-year journey.
Faridi said the symposium would provide the participants an opportunity to present their work before a large group of their peers, and allow them to engage in dialogue with their colleagues from across the county for evolving policies and strategies to deal with a wide spectrum of diseases.
This exchange of ideas could significantly contribute to improving the quality of care that the doctors provide their patients, he added.
Stressing the need to do more in research for the benefit of the patients, LNH Symposium Committee Chairman Dr Shakil Aqil said the purpose of the symposium is to promote medical education and research.
Aqil said attendants and bereaved families must understand the difference between negligence and complication, and urged the need to investigate negligence under a proper system.
Earlier, a walk titled ‘Saving students, protecting doctors’ was organised in the premises of the hospital.
Led by Dr Faridi and Dr Salman Sharif, students, doctors, nurses and other paramedics carrying banners and placards marched from Gate 1 to Gate 3 of the LNH.
A state-of-the-art research & development centre was also inaugurated at the hospital to facilitate medical professionals for providing better treatment.
