Patient’s death: Inquiry report fixes responsibility on hospital staff

ABBOTTABAD: Detailed report of an inquiry committee on female patient Saira Bano, who died in the hospital due to alleged mismanagement, has concluded that women, children, and gynaecology departments had failed to involve medical consultation throughout her stay in the hospital.

They also couldn’t arrange ICU in their own hospital and did a massive blood transfusion, which was arranged from the laboratories outside the Women and Children Hospital.

“The FFP transfusion was neither administered with required medical protocols nor monitored to assess any ‘reaction symptoms’, which is not only a strong possibility but has fatal consequences. The paramedical staff as well as doctor (s) on duty are responsible for this professional negligence,” it said, while recommending the highest penalty against the paramedical staff and the doctor(s) on duty at the time of the blood transfusion.

The committee, comprising Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, Asstt Prof Dr Ejaz Ahmad, Associate Professor Dr Syed Yasir Hussain Gilani, Associate Prof Dr Tariq Abbassi, Sohaib Shah, representative deputy commissioner office Sardar Fida Hussain and Mohammad Naseer, co-opted member nominee of the husband of Saira Bano, conducted the inquiry. The inquiry committee was constituted by medical director ATH on the request of the husband of the deceased.

The copy of the inquiry report available with this correspondent and confirmed by members of the inquiry committee stated that there must be a properly written and approved protocol for shifting of critical patients to ICU. Clinical executive board must develop such a document by mutual consultation with the various departments.

The report said that laboratories having no haematologist must be banned from keeping blood products and should not be allowed to play with the lives of patients.

The district government should be requested to inspect and audit all the blood banks outside the hospital to make and keep their standards according to the government rules. The district HRA should also be involved, it recommended.

The committee suggested action against hospital staff members who should be given a warning for not making the proper compliance of the action

The administration of the WCH should be given an explanation through the district monitoring health for not establishing proper ICU and to call explanations of the Gynae consultants for not involving the physicians in their setup, it added.