Mardan Medical Complex: Health minister orders probe into child’s death

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtun-khwa Health Minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan on Monday took notice of the death of an eight-year old child due to the alleged shortage of anti-snake venom at the Mardan Medical Complex (MMC) and ordered an inquiry into the matter.

The minister came to know about the tragic loss of the child on Sunday night and immediately left for Mardan to visit the MMC and see the ground realities.

“I have been hurt by the loss of this child and will not spare those found responsible for this criminal act,” Dr Hisham Inamullah told reporters during his visit to the hospital.

The minister expressed concern over the deteriorating health services and poor administrative setup at the tertiary care hospital.

He said none of the MMC’s officials was present when he visited the hospital.

However, the administrative officials later managed to reach the hospital and explained their position to the health minister.

Dr Hisham Inamullah also lamented the role of Board of Governors (BoG) of the hospital. He said soon a regular board would be announced for the MMC and other medical and teaching institutions of the province.

A boy, Adnan Khan, was bitten by snake and died due to shortage of anti-snake venom or lifesaving drugs in the teaching hospital.

The child’s mother used to wake him up early morning and send him to the village masjid for learning the Holy Quran.

On Saturday morning, as usual the child went to the masjid where he was bitten by a snake when the faithful were offering Fajr prayer.

He was first taken to the newly built District Headquarters Hospital Mardan where the casualty staff was reportedly absent and a Class-IV employee sent them to the nearby Mardan Medical Complex, a teaching hospital of Bacha Khan Medical College (BKMC).

In the MMC’s Accident and Emergency Department, the doctors on duty told the child ’s attendants that they had no vaccine for snake bite patients and advised them to take the child to a private health facility to save his life.

This poor and illiterate family and the boy’s grandmother were willing to do whatever possible to save his life but they could not.

The child died at the Casualty Department of the MMC.

MMC Hospital Director Dr Tariq Mehmood had earlier told The News that they had anti-snake venom but the stock exhausted only two days ago.

He said the government had changed the policy and refused them to provide supplies at the old list.

The previous Awami National Party government had razed building of the DHQ Hospital Mardan and spent millions of funds on the new building. However, the services being offered at the DHQ are not up to the mark.