ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) president Prof Dr Shabbir Lehri has formed an inquiry committee to probe the death of a sanitation worker in Umerkot Civil Hospital who was reportedly looked down upon and denied treatment by doctors because he was covered in filth.

Dr Lehri said in a press statement issued here on Thursday that any type of discrimination in provision of medical care was unacceptable.

Being a medical practitioner one should be dedicated to providing healthcare services with full technical and moral independence, compassion and respect for human dignity. Doctors should always ensure emergency care as a humanitarian duty, he said.

“All the medical and dental practitioners should bear in mind the obligations of preserving life and not discriminate against anyone on the basis of age, gender, class, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, health conditions, marital discord, domestic or parental status, criminal record or any other applicable bias as prescribed by law,” he said.

He said the council would thoroughly investigate the incident and take strict action if negligence was proved.

The sanitation worker, 30-year-old Irfan Masih, fell unconscious along with three other colleagues while cleaning a manhole in Umerkot on June 2 and died hours later in the government hospital in front of a group of doctors who allegedly refused to treat him because he was drenched in sewage sludge.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2017