Patient dies unattended at LGH

Emergency ward closed for 3 days

MS says admin has fulfilled young doctors’ demands; ensures provision of security in hospital

LAHORE

The emergency ward of Lahore General Hospital has become a no-go area for critical patients for the last three days as LGH chapter of Young Doctors Association, Punjab, is on an indefinite strike allegedly in solidarity with their colleague tortured in Sargodha DHQ hospital.

Young doctors of LGH on last Friday night withdrew their services in emergency wards besides indoor and outdoor wards leaving the critically injured and seriously sick patients in the lurch, citing the reason of shortage of medicines in hospital and torture of their colleague upon expiry of a patient in Medical Unit-II on Friday. While stripping Messiah’s tag and wearing the garb of hypocrisy in raising the voice for poor patients, the young doctors have actually punished patients by denying them treatment services in hospital.

The emergency ward of LGH comprised of 140 beds, including 40 beds of Neurological patients and 20 beds each reserved for Medical, Surgical, Orthopaedic, Paediatric and Gynae patients, who are left to suffer at the mercy of their ailments and injuries. Approximately, more than 2,500 patients visit the emergency ward of LGH daily, but all registrars, medical officers, PGs and HOs refused to join their duties without provision of security.

As a result, there have been reports of several unattended casualties in Lahore General Hospital during the last three days as a 40-year-old patient brought with profound head injuries was made to wait unconscious for half an hour outside LGH late Saturday night and he reportedly died on way to a private hospital.

Besides, the witnesses also informed a 75-year-old female patient, Sughran Bibi, kept crying of pain due to leg fracture but no doctor attended her. Scores of major and minor operations have been postponed as the work has been virtually suspended in emergency, outdoor and indoor wards in the hospital since last Friday night.

The relatives/attendants of patients are left with no option but to shift their patients to other hospitals or nearby private hospitals.

The YDA, LGH chapter’s leader Dr Saleem said the young doctors had withdrawn their services from emergency ward, outdoor and indoor wards last Friday night due to torture of their colleague Dr Faisal in Medical Unit-II by the relatives of a patient, who died of excessive bleeding as a result of high blood pressure, from a village near Bund Road. “A female House Officer Dr Iqra has quit her job due to pushing and fear of such a nasty incident in the ward,” he added. However, he said the young doctors also expressed their solidarity with the colleague Dr Umair, who was badly tortured by the goon of a local MNA in Sargodha DHQ, but the major reason of their boycott of duties was beating doctors in LGH and shortage of medicines. He said doctors were not ready to get beaten for the faults of provincial government, health department and administration of hospital. “Why should we get beaten if medicines are not available in the hospital?” he asked and set a precondition of provision of complete security for doctors and availability of medicines in the hospital to resume their duties in the hospital.

He alleged hospital administration had awarded security’s contract to a relative of an ex-secretary health, who had failed to provide security to the hospital staff  during the last six months. “We are ready for accountability in cases of negligence, but the government should also be held responsible for lack of facilities and medicines in hospitals,” he said, and demanded an FIR against the patient’s attendants, who beat up the doctors on the allegation of negligence without ascertaining the actual cause of death of the patient.

When contacted, LGH Medical Superintendent Dr Niaz Ahmad said the administration had been able to partially run the emergency by deputing senior doctors, including assistant professors and other available medical staff in the emergency ward, but admitted that the patients were suffering due to boycott of duties by the young doctors especially in view of the growing load of patients in the biggest neurosurgical facility in the province. “We are trying to convince the young doctors to resume their duties,” he said, adding that LGH administration had fulfilled all their demands and ensured provision of security in the hospital.

With regard to non-availability of medicines in the hospital, he vehemently rejected this accusation, saying that the medicines were available in sufficient quantity in the stores. “Actually, some doctors, paramedics and other staff are involved in theft of medicines to be sold outside,” he alleged, and added would take stern action to stop pilferage of medicines in the hospital in future.