September 28, 2007	Friday	Ramazan 15, 1428

MIANWALI, Sept 27: Police have refused to entertained doctors and teachers seeking first information reports against each other over the death of a patient at the Mianwali District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital and torture on a doctor by the heirs to the deceased. District Police Officer Malik Abdul Aziz Khan referred both applications to District Coordination Officer (DCO) Babar Shafi.

The mother of Malik Ghulam Mustafa, teacher with the Government MC High School, felt pain in heart and was admitted to emergency ward of the DHQ Hospital on Sept 24 where doctors provided her first aid.

But the family insisted that cardiologist Dr Rab Nawaz Raja, residing in the DHQ hospital colony, see the patient. The family claimed the doctor did not come to attend the patient in time and he turned up at the ward, when the patient had expired. This enraged the family and they beat Raja over his alleged neglect.

After the incident, Mustafa called a meeting of the Muttahida Asataza Mahaz and gave a strike call in protest against the alleged negligence of the doctor. All boys’ schools in the district were closed on Sept 24. Despite teachers’ strike, police refused to register a case against the doctor.

To present his viewpoint, Dr Raja called a press conference and said he was receiving life threats from the relatives of the deceased woman. He said he had asked the district administration to provide him guards and transfer him to some other place.

Dr Raja said as per DHQ hospital’s timetable, doctors Dr Aftab and Azmatullah were present in emergency ward. The cardiac patient was admitted to the hospital at 5.15am as per the entry register of the hospital. She was provided with first aid by the two doctors. The sons of the patient also approached Dr Raja at his residence and he checked a prescription by the two doctors for the patient. He said he also suggested some more medicines for the patient. On their second call, he went to the ward even in his night suit at 6am but unluckily the patient had died then. He said the family thrashed him in the CCU.

The DCO has directed Dr Raja to report to the health education executive district officer and relinquish the charge. With Dr Raja gone now, it means the DHQ hospital will have no cardiologist. Earlier there were two cardiologists at the hospital; Dr Tariq Masood Khan in on a one-year leave, and now Dr Raja has been asked to leave the hospital.

Mianwali president of the Pakistan Medical Association Dr Atta Muhammad said doctors felt insecure in Mianwali and demanded the government provided security to them.