Death of a patient during surgery: Health authority imposes Rs1m fine on Islamabad healthcare facility for negligence

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) has imposed a fine of Rs1 million on the private health facility over the death of a patient due to negligence of a surgeon and anaesthetist during the procedure.

The action was taken on the complaint of the son of a 54-year-old patient, who died during an orthopedic procedure in July this year. Deceased Muhammad Sajid, an employee of a private company, was taken to the private hospital in sector G-8 for the surgery of his ankle but he breathed his last during the procedure.

An official of the IHRA said the authority has also imposed a fine of half a million rupees on the anaesthetist for being unqualified anaesthetist, and sent the case of both the surgeon and the anaesthetist to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) as per law.

IHRA complaint management committee found mal-administration and mal-practice on the part of the health facility, the IHRA said in its decision.

The authority further declared the anaesthesiologist is not qualified and he posed himself as a fully qualified doctor which established malpractice on his part, therefore penalty of Rs500,000 is imposed on him under section 29, Islamabad Healthcare Regulations Act, 2018.

The IHRA found medical negligence on the part of doctors - the surgeon and anaesthetist - and referred the matter to Pakistan Medical & Dental Council for taking an action according to the applicable law,” said the official quoting the decision.

He said the authority has given one-month time to the concerned health facility to put in place all systems requiring interventions during anaesthesia and surgery.

“After the end of this period, IHRA will certify that all these systems and staff are in place for a risk-free surgery in this hospital,” the IHRA official added.

“The death of my father was a devastating incident for me and my entire family as my father died during a routine surgery of his ankle. The surgeon and his team showed criminal negligence in the case. The surgeon never met my father before the surgery, and knew nothing about his underlying conditions,” said Hamza, son of the deceased.