Senior doctor seriously injured in attempt on life

PESHAWAR: A senior doctor and professor of Ear Nose Throat (ENT) Department at the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) Peshawar was seriously injured when unknown armed motorcyclists opened fire at him in Peshawar’s posh Hayatabad on Thursday.

Prof Asmatullah Khan had just left his house in Hayatabad for the HMC, where he is working as professor at the ENT Department, when two armed motorcyclists opened fire at him.He was driving himself. The armed men fired four bullets but Prof Asmatullah received two bullet injuries to his lungs and liver.

Prof Asmatullah despite having suffered bullet injuries drove the car and managed to reach the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E). Medical Director Prof Shehzad Akbar had just arrived there and immediately shifted the injured to the operation theater.

“In the meantime, two other surgeons, Prof Dr Mazhar Khan and Prof Zahid Aman also arrived there. The three surgeons did his laparotomy,” a senior official of the hospital told The News. Prof Asmatullah was shifted to the ICU and put on ventilator after laparotomy.

Prof Shehzad and his team remained with him till the evening and removed him from ventilator in the afternoon.The doctors said he was in a stable condition but termed the next 24 hours crucial for him. He would remain at the ICU.

Taking to The News in ICU, Prof Asmatullah said he had no enmity with any one. He said he had never received any threatening phone call. There were reports that the incident took place near the house of a police officer and police personnel were deputed at his bungalow for his protection. They were, however, not able to take notice of the firing in the neighbourhood.

The doctors at the HMC reacted and suspended all type of services, except emergency and casualty. They staged a protest and demanded the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government to provide them security.

The doctor community decided to keep all the services other than the emergency in the hospital, suspended till the arrest of the culprits. Dr Amir Taj Khan, president Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), said the doctors would continue the protest and keep all services, except emergency and casualty, suspended from Friday in HMC to protest the life-attempt on Prof Asmatullah.

Chairman Board of Governors (BoG) Sahibzada Saeed rushed to the hospital and supervised the situation and enquired and assured Dr Asmatullah of his full cooperation. Meanwhile, the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) and other staff members held a protest demonstration at the HMC against the life attempt on Prof Asmatullah.

The HMC administration held a meeting where members of PDA, Young Doctors Association, senior doctors and staff condemned the attack on senior doctor.They decided to develop a strategy for protest against the attacks on doctor community in the province in general and provincial capital with particular. A joint committee would be formed to chalk out the future plan of action. The committee will also contact KTH and LRH bodies for further action. Those in the meeting demanded protection for the doctors, complaining that kidnapping, ransom, extortion and killing of the doctors had become a routine for certain elements.