THQ hospital staff’s alleged negligence leads to death of girl
BOONI: An 11-year-old girl died after being brought to the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital of Booni on Thursday due to alleged negligence of the hospital staff.
Reports circulating on social media showed the father of the girl staging a sit-in on the premises of the hospital and refusing to receive the dead body of his loved one untill action taken against the negligent medical and paramedical staff.
However, the district health department of Upper Chitral said the case was not as simple as being portrayed in social media.
The reports said Atiqur Rehman of Terich brought his daughter from his village to the THQ hospital with the complaint of urinary blockage. Once at the hospital, the father of the girl was told that there was no emergency service and he should go to the OPD.
In the OPD, he was asked to line up in a long queue to get a registration chit after which the patient was sent to a ward at about 8am.
The father alleged that no staff attended to the patient who continued battling for her life for hours and ultimately passed away at about 10am. He also alleged that the staff including a duty doctor misbehaved with him and tried to pushed him out.
After the unfortunate incident, concerned officials from the health department and the district administration reached the hospital and assured the grieving father that action would be taken against the staff responsible.
However, till Friday, no action had been taken and in a bizarre manner the district health department just issued an order transferring a low grade laboratory worker, Kiramat Khan, from the hospital to the rural health centre of Drasun.
Local people told ChitralToday that the hospital lacks medical staff and facilities and there was no check on the working of the staff and complaints about their unprofessional attitude always fell on deaf ears.
DHO’s VERSION
District Health Officer (DHO) Upper Chitral Dr Irshad Ahmed in a statement on social media expressed grief over the death of the girl and clarified that the incident was not as simple as being portrayed on social media.
He said on the direction of the deputy commissioner, an inquiry had been launched and action would be taken if any official was found negligent.
He said when the child was brought to the hospital, Dr Sohail and Dr Irshad Ali attended to her and provided her necessary treatment, including opening the urinary blockage. But more treatment was not possible without some pathological tests.
He said the case was not simple but quite complicated and it was highly possible that the girl had blood cancer.
He, however, said negligence of staff cannot be tolerated in any hospitals and action would be taken against the staff on the basis of the inquiry.
it is deeply saddening and deplorable. Lack of resources is the main cause- more resources will minimize such incidents. The hospital needs more doctors; medicines can be made available and tests can be done from outside as well-and resources can be generated. I also wonder why this is still a THQ instead of a DHQ.
Secondly, parents’ awareness and education are also very important in our area; blind belief in and reliance on desi medicines and dam durood deteriorates the patient’s condition so much that by the time the family realizes it; no hospital or doctor can save the patient. Hypothetically speaking, it may have happened like that here also.
Saif.
Morder
Very sad and deplorable. Lack of resources is the main cause- more resources will minimize such incidents. The hospital needs more doctors; medicines can be made available and tests can be done from outside as well-and resources can be generated. I also wonder why this is still a THQ instead of a DHQ.
Secondly, parents’ awareness and education are also very important in our area; blind belief in and reliance on desi medicines and dam durood deteriorates the patient’s condition so much that by the time the family realizes it; no hospital or doctor can save the patient. Hypothetically speaking, it may have happened like that here also.
Saif.
Morder
First action should be taken against the medical staff of the OPD and then the MS and then the DHO bcoz it is their criminal negligence and failure to put in place a system about how such a patient needing emergency need is handled. The other issues are result of this negligence and they are secondary.
Strong action is needed if there is any value of human life. We had heard health reforms by PTI govt but thus one case sadden me that this PTI govt which is in power in our province since 2013 is worse of all.