The medical community has threatened to extend their protest over the registration of FIR against three doctors of Sheikh Zayed Hospital to other hospitals of the provinces if the FIR is not cancelled. Meanwhile, the protest at SZH has turned into a full-fledged strike that has curtailed all functions of the SZH except the emergency, causing a great inconvenience to the patients. The medical community said no FIR could be registered against a doctor after the implementation of Health Care Commission Act, adding that per the HCC Act the complainant should submit an application to the commission and if expert committee found the doctor guilty, only then an FIR could be registered.
Dr Tanweer Anwar of Pakistan Medical Association, present in the protest said the doctors’ community was protesting against the violation of laws and not for saving their fellows from punishment. SZH Chairman Prof Dr Zafar Iqbal told Pakistan Today that the Lahore Commissioner Lahore Jawad Rafique had ensured the doctors to resolve the issue and transfer the case to Health Care Commission. A written letter from DIG was also received in this regard stating that the case would be referred to HCC, Dr Zafar said, adding that he did not know of any further developments.
The case was registered against Associate Professor Dr Haroon Majeed, Assistant Professor Dr Haroon Dar and Senior Registrar Dr Zulfiqar under section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code. Dr Haroon Dar, Professor of Surgical Unit II, told Pakistan Today that the patient Rafiq Khokhar was brought to hospital first time on September 19 and was operated for hernia on September 21. Then again, on October 7, the patient was brought back to hospital but left next day against the medical advice and then brought on October 15 and was diagnosed to be suffering from intestinal tuberculosis for which he was operated but due to reduced immunity the inside stitches could not heal and that lead to his deat. He said a special consent form was got signed before operation from the caretaker of patient. He was of the view that the patient was brought back to the same doctors which showed trust of patient’s family on the doctors.
Other doctors were not available for comment. The complainant, in his application to police, has claimed that doctors wrongly diagnosed the patient at very first stage and treatment in the erroneous direction led their loved one to die. According to complaint, the patient was suffering from appendicitis only and was mistreated.
