Pakistan means ‘the land of the pure’ and our founders did everything in their power to make this a reality. Whether they succeeded or not, it is certain that our doctors do not believe in the same concept. The medical profession today is greatly indebted to the government, high officials, and senior doctors who worked hard to form the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) at the federal level in 1962.
However, the medical profession in Pakistan has spiralled in a downward trajectory over the years. Doctors display such apathy that patients are now more afraid of them than they are of their disease. Recently I had an experience that reinforced my view that the medical profession is deteriorating in our country.
I had a collection of tissues on my back that I was told needed removing. As a result I was admitted to Jinnah Hospital in Lahore, where I was taken to an operation theatre that had a deplorable condition. The state of the place made me queasy and I asked that my attendant be allowed to stay in the operation theatre while my surgery took place. It was hard to convince the doctors to let her in the room, but soon after the commencement of the surgery, she was forced out. This complete disregard for my wishes as a patient made me investigate the state of our medical sector today.
To understand the issues that patients face everyday I visited several hospitals in order to talk to senior doctors from various fields. The first thing I enquired about was the gynaecology department in each of the hospitals, and what I learned appalled me
Using some of my references, I visited several hospitals in order to talk to senior doctors from various fields. The first thing I enquired about was the gynaecology department in each of the hospitals, and what I learned appalled me. I learned that after a pregnant woman is admitted, and taken to the labour room, she is told to remove parts of her clothing and lie on the bed. Then she delivers the baby, while an army of doctors, and medical students look on. Nobody but the patient’s doctor and related medical staff should be present in the room when the patient is in this state of undress, and if students are to enter, they can only do so with the express permission of the patient.
This is highlighted in the Punjab Health Commission’s Rights of Patients and Others, Part-A, Clauses 15, 16, 17, 20, 21 and PMDC’s Code of Ethics Part-2, General Section 3, Clause D, as well as Part VIII of the Research Ethics and Consent Section’s Clauses 3, 4 and 6. However, the forms usually presented to the patient are complicated and do not contain all these provisions. They do not offer the patient the opportunity to change hospitals if they do not feel comfortable in the one they are currently in, and they are not provided a choice to maintain their privacy as they deliver their child. Patients are also not aware of the provision that allows them to have a family member or trusted presence in the room, if they feel uncomfortable during a medical procedure. These unlawful practices are unfortunately common practice in almost every medical facility and are mostly carried out with the management’s permission.
While speaking to one veteran doctor, I was forced to raise many of these issues, especially concerning the presence of an attendant during the operation. I was told that it was just not done in Pakistan, and that it was against the code of ethics for their profession. What kind of ethics are these when a patient’s right to privacy is not being respected and country laws are being broken in the process?
It is my duty to implore the current caretaker government to take the necessary steps required to implement the rules and regulations laid out in the charter of both the Punjab Health Commission and PMDC’s Code of Ethics, and take strict action against hospitals that openly ignore these rules.
The writer is a freelance columnist, and the author of Democracy is the Best Revenge. He can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, June 30th 2018.