Criminal cases would be lodged against perpetrators of violence against healthcare workers in Sindh while patients would be refused treatment if their attendants resorted to violence and hooliganism at healthcare facilities in the province, Caretaker Sindh Health Minister Dr Saad Khalid Niaz warned on Friday.
“Violence against healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, paramedics and all other support staff would not be tolerated anymore. Criminal cases would be lodged against those who would resort to violence at healthcare facilities while their patients would be denied treatment,” Dr Niaz told The News.
He issued these directives after he witnessed the manhandling of a guard at the emergency department of the Civil Hospital Karachi during a surprise visit. The attendants of a patients wanted to barge into the emergency, and when they were stopped by the guard at the gate, he was thrashed and subjected to violence by the visitors.
Dozens of healthcare workers are subjected to violence every month at hospitals across Pakistan by attendants and relatives of patients who die during treatment or when they are accused of slackness and beaten up by relatives and associates of patients.
“We are going to put a system in place to record complaints against healthcare workers, but nobody would be allowed to take the law and order into their own hands. We would also request law-enforcing agencies to provide protection to healthcare workers at hospitals and other health facilities,” he added.
During his visit to the Civil Hospital, the health minister expressed his displeasure over a non-functional CT scan, saying how a machine worth Rs230 million could become non-functional within four months of installation.
“I have ordered an inquiry into the issue of the no-functional CT scan machine at the Civil Hospital Karachi. I have also ordered the hospital administration to make the machine functional as soon as possible,” he said and added that he would not tolerate the absence of radiological and other screening facilities at the public health facilities.
He further warned that he would continue visiting public health facilities in Karachi and other cities of Sindh in the days and weeks to come. He added that the absence of staff, unhygienic conditions, maladministration and inconvenience to patients would not be allowed.
On the occasion, Dr Niaz also requested attendants and visitors of hospitals not to eat Paan and Gutka during hospital visits and refrain from dirtying the walls and corridors of the hospitals with Paan and Gutka spit.
“People complain of unhygienic conditions and lack of cleanliness at the hospitals, but most of the time, it is done by visitors, who spit in the corridors and floors and throw garbage inside the hospitals,” he deplored and urged people not to throw garbage in the health facilities.
To a query, the health minister said he had asked all the departments to recover official vehicles from retired officers and those who are not authorized to use such vehicles and hand them over to serving officers and healthcare professionals who don’t have any.
“No politician is using any vehicle of the health department. Some vehicles are with the former, retired officers and with those who are not entitled to use them. I have directed all the departments to recover those vehicles and hand them over to serving officers and officials who are entitled.”
