PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has asked the Board of Governors of Lady Reading Hospital to take action on the findings of an inquiry conducted into the alleged mistreatment of a transgender person, Alisha, who died of gunshots on May 26 at the hospital.

“The inquiry has found medical director, hospital director and professors of the surgery and orthopaedic wards of committing criminal negligence, recommending strict action against them,” sources said.

They said that government wanted the BoG of LRH to implement the recommendations of the inquiry. Cases against them in court would be submitted for criminal negligence, said sources quoting the report, submitted to health department on Friday.

The report said that the patient could have been saved if an urgent operation was performed. The five-member inquiry committee, tasked by the government to probe into the death, has recommended criminal cases against the top officials to prevent such incidents in future.

Report recommends criminal cases against medical director, hospital director and professors of surgical and orthopaedic wards

“Now, it is litmus test for the Board of Governor to take action against those held responsible for the death,” sources said.

The patient, who sustained injuries in different parts of the body, wasn’t attended to as an emergency which led to profuse bleeding due to which he died, said the report. “The health department can terminate them from services after lodging criminal cases in the court,” it added.

Contrary to the previous inquiry, which came with recommendation early this month, the second committee took time to dig deep into the case and fix responsibility on senior doctors and top officials, sources said.

Proper legal action has been proposed against the officials and professors to prevent such cases in future. The probe found that the wards were actually run by house officers, medical officers or trainee medical officers and seniors remained on call.

The acting medical director of LRH pleaded before the panel that he was on leave when the incident took place and responsibility lies with the hospital director, who was required to facilitate smooth treatment of Alisha. However, the committee nominated both of them in the case.

The report also recommends lodging FIR against the top officials of the hospital. The patient was first received at the accident and emergency department (A&ED) from where the 25-year-old transgender person was sent to surgical ward where medical officer didn’t bother to call senior registrar and failed to carry out an immediate operation and do the needful, sources said.

The inquiry also concluded that an immediate operation by seniors could have saved the patients, they added.

“It is a case of criminal negligence. The patient came to the surgical ward at 10:41pm on May 23 following four gunshots with compound fractures in arm and foot,” sources said.

There was no consultant at the accident and emergency department. The patient was referred to orthopedic ward and to Bolton Block after the hospital staff’s inability to allot a bed to the patient either in male or female ward.

On May 24, the patient was again examined by doctors of surgical ward on the call of orthopedic ward. The patient was operated upon but died early next day.

“The Medico Legal Certificate, a legal document, issued to the transgender person, is also faulty,” sources said.

According to the report, consultants arrive only in high profile cases to the wards or look after the cases admitted from their clinics. The committee also faced threats but compiled a conclusive report about the incident, sources said.

The inquiry will also embolden the junior doctors to call their seniors in case of emergency situation.

“The seniors, who remain on duty in papers, actually stay away from the wards and a medical officer or house officer takes care of the patient,” said sources.

However, they said that after a concrete and evidence-based scientific report, it was now up to the government to swing into action. “Who will bell the cat” they questioned.

The government rejected a first report for being too mild and formed another committee but it is not in a position to take action against the hospital staff owing to enforcement of Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Law, 2015 after which LRH is an autonomous hospital free from government’s control.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2016