BAHAWALPUR: Deputy Commissioner Rana Muhammad Saleem Afzal on Wednesday dismissed two employees of Ahmedpur East’s Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital from service and ordered disciplinary proceedings against a doctor after a video of a woman’s surgery was uploaded on social media.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Commissioner Saqib Zafar took notice of the video and sought a report from Health Services Director Dr Shahid Khaliq.

The district health authorities on the orders of Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Imran Nazir instituted an inquiry into the incident. A three-member committee will probe the case and submit its report within 24 hours (by Thursday).

According to the deputy commissioner, naib qasid Nasir Ali Naqvi and Attique Ahmed, operating theatre technician, have been dismissed and Dr Shahid Manzoor will be tried under the Punjab Employees Efficiency and Discipline Act (PEEDA) on the charges of posting/uploading a woman patient’s video during her surgery on Oct 7.

The video showing the woman’s surgery at the THQ Hospital and free movement of outsiders in the operating theatre went viral and drew the flak from social media users.

Commissioner Saqib Zafar directed the authorities to recommend strict action against those responsible for misconduct after completion of an inquiry.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Punjab health minister issued an order banning mobile phones inside the operating theatres across the province. He has directed the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the district health authorities to ensure compliance.

CONTRACT EMPLOYEES: The Punjab Water Management Department has terminated the services of 500 contract employees of class four.

The sacked employees held a protest demonstration where Kamran Azhar Shah, district president of the Water Management Employees Association, condemned the government’s decision to terminate the employees instead of meeting their demand to regularise them. He said these employees had served the department for 13 years but they had been rendered jobless with a stroke of pen.

He demanded that the provincial government reinstate and regularise them.

SPACE WEEK: The Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) and the National Space Agency SUPARCO jointly celebrated World Space Week 2017 under the theme of “Exploring the New Worlds”.

The university dedicated world space week observance to the 15-year celebrations of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.

SUPARCO Deputy Director General Muhammad Yousuf Khan, along with Prof Dr Muhammad Asghar Hashmi, Dean Faculty of Sciences, inaugurated the week-long events to be held in educational institutions of Bahawalpur. The activities include model competition, quiz competition, declamation contest, mobile lecture and movie show, water rocket competition, spacewalk and space fair.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2017