Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The medical regulatory body, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), has ordered an official inquiry into the death of a sanitary worker in Civil Hospital in Umerkot, Sindh due to doctors’ refusal to treat him.

According to details, 30-year-old Irfan Masih, who was a sanitary worker by profession, was brought to Civil Hospital Umerkot after he fainted while cleaning a drain. However, the doctors refused to give him medical treatment because he was covered in sewage. According to the complaint filed by the mother of deceased, the doctors refused to treat him because they were fasting and said that Irfan was unclean.

An official, requesting anonymity, said that PMDC President Dr Shabir Lehri had ordered an inquiry into the matter. The official said that a three-member committee comprising council’s members and a specialist doctor of the relevant field would investigate the matter. However, the names of members have not been finalised yet, the official said. The PMDC swung into action when the incident was highlighted in the media. Dr Lehri said that such behaviour was discriminatory and disgraceful.

“This is very unfortunate. Being a medical practitioner, one should be dedicated to providing medical services with compassion and respect for human dignity. Doctors should always ensure emergency care as a humanitarian duty,” he said.

Dr Lehri claimed that after the investigation, the accused would be punished under the law.

Usually, in such cases the council takes action after reception of complaints by any individual or in the result of issue highlighted in the media. A council spokesperson said that for dealing with such complaints, the council formulated two-member committees that recommended disciplinary action.

Earlier, PMDC had also taken action over the death of a child in the District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi, allegedly due to negligence of doctors.

The 11-year-old student died in the hospital last month after he was not given emergency medical care. He was brought to the hospital when he sustained injuries after falling down from the roof of his home. His parents said that the doctors at the hospital did not provide him any treatment and he later died from his wounds. They said that the careless of the doctors had caused the death.

“The council has expressed serious concern over the incident, which was presumably caused due to the negligence of the doctors,” stated a letter issued to DHQ Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Khalid Randhawa by the council. The council had directed the official to investigate the matter and submit a report within a week. However, despite the passage of the deadline, no action has so far been taken, officials said.

Published in Daily Times, June 23rd, 2017.