Two hospitals in Multan closed over patient safety disregard

The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) ordered Multan’s District Police Officer to initiate criminal proceedings against Lady Health Visitor Nahida Sadiq, Tanvir Ahmed and Allahdad of Al-Mudassir Surgical Centre for malpractice and for flagrant disregard of their patient’s safety in the treatment Nawabpura’s Muhammad Sajjad’s wife, Amna Bibi.
Additionally, a fine of Rs 500,000 was imposed on the Al-Mudassar (aka Talha) Surgical Centre and the facility was permanently closed down.
In investigations conducted by the PHC, it was deciphered that the establishment’s owner, Nahida, had been treating patients at the centre with the assistance of untrained anesthetist Tanveer and equally unqualified Allahdad.
In this particular case, the patient was brought to Al-Mudassir for a C-section surgery which was performed by Tanvir, who had no surgical training. After the operation the patient suffered from excessive blood-loss due to which her kidneys failed. She was rushed to Multan’s Nishtar Hospital where she was put on the dialysis machine. To protect her establishment from incurring liability for the patient’s death, Nahida resorted to concealment and obtained a false certificate from Dr Ilyas Chaudhry to the effect that the latter had performed Amna Bibi’s surgery. This claim was proved false in the inquiry conducted by the commission. Ilyas’s case was also referred to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council for appropriate action. The PHC instructed the Health department officials to conduct a survey of all healthcare establishments in Multan and to take stringent action against the owners of institutions that have employed unqualified professionals.
In a second case of a similar nature, the PHC directed Multan’s District Police Officer to initiate criminal proceedings against the owner of the Zam Zam Hospital, Dr Ishfaq Gujjar, for egregious disregard of a patient’s safety which resulted in her death. Ambreen Naqvi, 26, a resident of New Multan was brought to the abovementioned healthcare establishment for the removal of stones from her gall bladder. The said hospital was not adequately equipped to handle such surgeries as it possessed no defibrillator or ventilator and was not adequately stocked with antidotes to deal with allergic reactions to medicines. The patient was given an injection to which she had a severe allergic reaction and as the required antidote could not be administered, she went into cardiac arrest and expired. A fine of Rs 100, 000 was imposed on the facility which was temporarily closed down until it complies with the required standards and gets subsequent clearance for carrying out surgical procedures by the PHC. Gujjar and Dr Naghma Ishfaq of the Zam Zam Hospital will also face disciplinary action via the Health department in their official capacities as a surgeon and gynecologist, respectively. THQ Hospital Anesthetist Dr Riaz Hasmi who administered anesthesia to the patient would also face criminal charges for failing to act with the required diligence and care in the treatment of the patient.