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December 31, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 02,1430

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NAWABSHAH, Dec 30: A female patient suffering from haemorrhoids was almost operated upon for thyroids by doctors at People’s Medical College Hospital here on Monday.

Shabbiran, wife of Shamsuddin Dhalu, resident of Moro, was admitted to Surgical-III unit of the hospital for haemorrhoids on December 24.

The patient was put on list of operation theatre on Monday. However, when she ultimately reached at the surgery bed after completion of all the procedures including anaesthesia, the team of doctors headed by Surgeon Prof. Dr. Gulshan Ali Memon started operating upon her for thyroids.

The doctors had already done skin incision of the patient at the neck up to three centimeters after which the team leader realised that there was something wrong and she was not the patient of thyroids.

The professor stopped the surgery procedure and called the concerned staff and after investigations, it was revealed that the patient’s file was exchanged. The doctors immediately stitched the opened area and the patient was moved out of the OT.

Professor Dr Gulshan Ali Memon told Dawn that it was a human error and the procedure was stopped immediately after we detected the mistake. He said that the files of patients of bed No. 57 and 58 were exchanged due to which the mistake occurred.

He said that the patient reached in the OT after going through four or five process. However, the patient was stable and medically fit. Shamsuddin Dhalu, husband of the affected patient, told newsmen that they were helpless and could not afford any medications.

He further said that his wife was saved by the grace of Allah. He sought justice and a neutral enquiry intro the matter from the high-ups.

Medical Superintendent of the PMC, Dr Naseer Ahmed Shaikh, told Dawn that he had received a formal complaint in the matter and he had referred the matter to the principal of PMC as a professor was involved in the surgery.

When contacted, Professor Dr Ali Akbar Ghumro, Principal of the College, maintained that he had also received information about the surgery and he would constitute a committee for enquiry after which action would be taken.

Sources in the hospital informed this correspondent that the matter was settled privately by the doctors after meeting with the husband of the affected patient. A senior doctor, on request of not being named, said that a neutral inquiry should be conducted into the incident as it was a serious professional mistake.

He said that the doctors, including anaesthetist as well as paramedical staff, should be included into the enquiry and those responsible be taken to task.

BAN: The district administration of Shaheed Benazir Abad has under instructions from Sindh home department banned entry of a number of ulema in the district during Muharram.