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Thursday March 28, 2024

Woman blames ‘wrong’ treatment for husband’s death

By Amer Malik
May 08, 2021

LAHORE:A widow with two minors has been running from pillar to post for five months to seek justice against doctors’ alleged wrong medical treatment administered to her husband at Jinnah Hospital resulting in his death.

Ms Rabia Waheed, w/o late Waheed Tariq, brought her husband to Jinnah Hospital with a stomach pain on 28 November, 2020. The doctors suggested endoscopy in emergency, but they did not give endoscopy and admitted the patient in Medical Unit-IV ward among multiple disease patients. She alleged that the doctors administered wrong medicines that caused bleeding, but worst part was that they did not do anything to stop bleeding until the patients died on 02 December, 2020.

Ms Rabia, who is pursuing her case for five months, was left to raise her two minor children, aged 8 years and 10 years, single-handedly as she had no immediate source of income to sustain. Another challenge looms for the widow and two minor orphans was the owner of the house served her notice to vacate the house.

While narrating her ordeal at Jinnah Hospital, she said that Head Medical Unit IV Dr Shandana and other attending doctors, including Dr Abdullah, Dr Qurban and Dr Gulfam had unanimously written in their notes that patient was stable despite the fact that bleeding was going on continuously. “On one hand, the doctors declared patient’s condition stable, and then put him on ventilator too. She claimed that ICU staff informed her that the patient was almost dead without pulses and heartbeat. The oxygen cylinder was empty and patient was gasping for breath.

All his internal organs were normal as ultrasound report reflects, while ECG taken in emergency was also normal.She said that she sought medical record of the patient, Waheed Tariq, which was verified by the hospital but refused to provide medical record.“It was a proof that Waheed Tariq was admitted in Medical Unit 4 and remained there for four days until his death in ICU on fifth day,” she said.

Earlier, when the patient’s condition was deteriorating in the ward, she claimed, ICU Registrar Dr Rizwan denied availability of bed in ICU, but when someone approached Medical Superintendent, the bed was arranged for their patient. “It delayed shifting of our patient to ICU,” she said in a sobbing voice.

She said that she had registered her complaints to PM’s Citizens’ (Complaints) Portal and CM’s Secretariat after she had received no response from hospital’s administration.

“I approached Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) but nothing was done so far,” she said, adding that PHC had not conducted even a single hearing despite lapse of five months since the incident. “If the government or PHC didn’t do anything, then I reserve the right to go to court,” she added.

Dr Shandana Tariq, Head of Department, Medical Unit IV JHL, in a letter to Medical Superintendent dated 09 January, 2021, claimed that, according to the medical record of the admissions available, no patient with the name of Waheed Tariq was admitted in Medical Unit IV on 28 November, 2020. “The hospital administration sent this response to PM’s Citizens’ Portal in response to my complaint,” she said. However, when I complained at CM’s Secretariat, the new HOD of Medical Unit IV Dr Khalid Mahmud Khan, who succeeded Dr Shandana Tariq, confirmed that patient Waheed s/o Rasheed, 61 years’ old and resident of Punjab Society, Bahria Town, was admitted to M4 with name of Waheed Rasheed on 28 November, 2020 at 4pm through emergency with presentation of upper GI bleed. He was shifted to main ICU on 30 November, 2020 with the name of Waheed Tariq. As there is ambiguity in his name, however, patient having same MR No. 55559 and expired on 02 December, 2020 at 12:13 pm in Main ICU. “Anyhow detailed information regarding patient’s clinical status and management couldn’t be reproduced. As I was not involved in the management of the patient because at that time I was HOD Medical Unit III and Dr Shandana Tarique was HOD Medical Unit IV at that time. If details are required, an inquiry committee can be constituted,” Dr Khalid Mahmud Khan wrote in his response.

When contacted, PHC spokesman Aamer Waqas said the Commission has already been investigating the case as per its applicable regulations. Since the matter is under investigation, he said, I cannot comment. She demanded the chief minister and health minister order a fair investigation to dispense justice and award punishment to the doctors. Ms Rabia, who is an MBA, appealed to the CM to provide her a job to enable her to sustain her helpless family as well as allot her a house to provide shelter to her and two minors.