KASUR: An injection administered to one of the patients of the same name by mistake at Pattoki THQ Hospital claimed a life here on Monday.

After the death of the patient, doctors and paramedical staff at the emergency ward moved away leaving the patients unattended for about three hours till the CEO and local police reached the hospital following a protest of the bereaved family against the alleged criminal negligence on the part of the hospital staff.

Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdul Majeed suspended the [suspected] doctor and paramedical staff at the emergency ward and constituted an inquiry team headed by Dr. Tahir Shah.

Reports said Muhammad Abbas, 60, of Habibabad (Pattoki) was brought to THQ Hospital emergency ward with cardiac pain. Another patient from Pattoki, Muhammad Abbas, 50, was lying on the adjacent bed with paralysis symptoms.

Medical officer Dr. Shahid Hafeez asked the son of Abbas, 50, to bring an injection from the pharmacy. When he brought the required injection, Dr. Hafeez allegedly asked an under-training dispenser to administer the injection to Abbas.

The doctor asked the dispenser to administer the injection to Abbas, 50, [with paralysis symptoms] but he allegedly injected Abbas (60).

After the doze of injection, Abbas of Habibabad died. When his family staged a protest demonstration outside the ward, the on-duty staff escaped. In the meantime, a number of villagers joined the protest.

Smelling the situation, local police reached the hospital and held negotiations with the agitators. CEO Dr Majeed also reached the THQ Hospital and asked other doctors to resume duty at the emergency ward.

Dr Majeed said MO Dr. Hafeez had been suspended from service and a team would probe the matter.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2018