In yet another case of negligence at private health facilities, Fatima Memorial Hospital (FMH)’s doctors extracted the wrong tooth of a highly diabetic elderly patient, putting his life to obvious risk, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Habil Qaiser, a 92-year-old resident of Ichhra, visited FMH for treatment on August 22 with a painful mouth due to a broken tooth. His hospital report (registration no 10701) mentioned him as a diabetic, already on medication. After a detailed inspection, the doctors recommended the patient to Dr Maham for the extraction of his upper molar seven. However, the doctor concerned, demonstrating immense negligence, removed the wrong tooth.
“For the first 24 hours, I could not feel my teeth due to the effect of anesthesia but when it wore off, I realised that the wrong tooth had been removed because the pain restarted. I am diabetic and on medication for a long time now. This is a case of clear negligence and I will press legal charges against the hospital,” Qaiser told Pakistan Today.
FMH Public Relations Officer Naheed Ali Khan said that the hospital’s standard operating procedure did not allow a junior doctor to conduct even a minor surgery without the supervision of seniors.
“We have to consult the head of department before giving any statement to the media and it will take a couple of days,” she added.
