26-year-old Tasawer Naeem is going through a critical phase of his life because of the apathy shown by doctors at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) Rawalpindi, who are using delaying tactics to avoid him getting justice from judiciary by not appearing in the court on one pretext or another.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Naeem said in February earlier this year, he was admitted in the ICU of BBH after feeling sever pain in his chest. After getting the treatment, he informed the doctor concerned that his condition was not normal. In reply, he directed a student nurse to inject him on February 9 after which one of his hands was paralysed.
“After losing my hand, I appealed to the medical superintendent (MS) of the hospital to probe into the matter but he ignored my request. But after the publishing of news in an English national daily, the senior doctors on the directives of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif constituted a committee to unearth the truth,” said Tasawer.
He alleged that after the passage of some time, the doctors refused to give any report of the inquiry and started threatening him on which he filed a writ in District Consumer Protection Council (DCPC). Later, the DCPC sent a legal notice to the MS, two doctors and a nurse of the hospital on his behalf, Tasawer said, adding that they were asked to pay Rs 5 million as compensation or face the legal process.
But the court too could not stop address the matter. “I appear before the court on every hearing but the doctors don’t pay any heed towards the courts calls and always miss the dates, resulting in adjournment of proceedings many a times,” he said. Tasawer is a resident of Kalar Syedan and it is now getting more and more difficult for him to travel regularly.
“I have no money for travelling,” he said, adding that the criminal act had ruined his life. The incident also forced Tasawer to left his work despite the fact that he was the sole earner of a family of four, including a sister and mother. “I worked as a daily wages in the Wildlife Department but could not continue because of a paralysed hand,” a dejected Tasawer said.
He said he had contacted a number of doctors but every one of them refused to treat him, saying there were 90 percent chances that his condition would remain the same even after an operation. Tasawer told Pakistan Today that he also approached doctors at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), who suggested him electro diagnostic test.
“According to the doctors at PIMS, the condition of my hand cannot improve because of a nerve injury.” he said. The summary findings of electro diagnostic results says: “Electrophysiological studies showed severe injury to the radial nerve, as evident by sharp waves and fibrillation potential in muscles supplied by radial injury. NCS showed reduced amplitude and conduction velocity of radial nerve.
And the conclusion is: Severe axonotomesis of radial nerve. Site is radial groove that is site of trauma.”
He appealed to Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take notice of the situation and to ensure provision of justice to him.
