RAHIM YAR KHAN: A patient suspected of suffering from Congo fever died at Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) here on Sunday night.

Sources said Sher Zaman, 25, of Sarhad town (Sindh), was admitted to the emergency on Friday as a dengue patient.

Dr Atif shifted the patient to medical ward 1 after he was tested negative for dengue fever. Later, he was shifted to an isolated ward where doctors did not treat him properly and he expired.

SZMCH Medical Superintendent Dr Tasneem Kamran said Sher Zaman was a hepatitis patient.

She said if the doctors in the medical ward 1 treated the patient properly he could have survived because his BP was below 60 when he was shifted to the isolated room where he expired.

Medical ward 1 registrar Dr Zaeem said when he informed associate professor Dr Waheed Chaudhry that Zaman was a Congo patient, the professor advised him to immediately shift the patient to an isolated room of the emergency.

Dr Waheed Chaudhry said the BP of the patient was normal and he was shifted to the isolated room because of the clear symptoms of the Congo fever.

The MS said that principal Dr Tariq ordered an inquiry and sent blood samples of the deceased to a laboratory in Islamabad.

Prof Dr Tariq did not receive the call despite repeated attempts made by this scribe.

STRIKE: Members of Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital’s (SZMCH) Employees Welfare Association (EWA), Punjab Health Support Staff Association (PHSSA), Punjab Paramedics Alliance, Young Doctors Association, Young Nurses Association and All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) observed a strike against the handing over of the sanitation system of emergency to a private firm.

The SZMCH administration called the bidders for the opening of the tenders on Monday.

Scores of workers started their protest from the OPD and then arranged a sit-in outside the principal office where EWA president Imran Arshad, Dr Amjad, Chaudhry Boota Abid and Musarrat Naz delivered speeches.

They said that all the employees were united against the privatisation of the largest emergency in the province and that they would continue their protest.

Later, ruling party MNA Maiza Hameed Gujjar arrived there, showed solidarity with the protesting employees and assured them that Punjab secretary health would be contacted to cancel the tenders.

She said that no employee would be fired after the privatization process. Afterwards all employees ended their protest and joined their duty.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2016