PESHAWAR: The health department has removed medical and hospital directors of Khyber Teaching Hospital in violation of rules, according to sources.

They said that according to rules, show cause notice should be served on the officials in question to allow them to respond to the allegations prior to initiation of action against them.

On January 21, the health secretary ordered removal of KTH medical director Prof Rohul Muqim and hospital director Dr Nekdad Afridi from their positions, stating that the action had been taken after an inquiry committee found them guilty with regard to amputation of right hand of a diabetic patient due to insertion of wrong intravenous cannula.

An inquiry committee constituted by Health Minister Hisham Inamullah Khan on November 16, 2018 had been tasked to probe the matter on the request of patient Ahmed Faraz Khan.

According to a notification, the inquiry revealed significant breaches of academic and professional protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) at KTH besides generally prevailing low quality of medical and nursing care, delays in decision making, behavioural issues and poor clinical as well as administration management complication of nosocomial origin and the ultimate tragedy outcome in terms of amputation of right hand of the patient.

Both officials removed without being given show cause notices

It said that KTH hospital director Dr Nekdad Afridi and medical director Dr Roohul Muqim failed to perform their duties efficiently, responsibly, effectively and professionally.

However, sources said that the matter was not related to medical director and hospital director at all. They said that the nurse, who passed the cannula at the medical ward, was primarily responsible while the ultimate responsibility rested with the nursing director.

Giving background, sources said that the medical director of KTH had not been in the good books of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders. They said that he had removed a woman employee from pharmacy department on account of corruption. Despite requests by the brother of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar, she was not sent to pharmacy department where she had been working as pharmacist since 2012, they added.

“She is now posted in operation theatre because she is anesthesia technician and not a pharmacist. She was caught stealing medicines from the hospital,” said sources.

They said that the minister was also asking the medical director to accommodate a senior pharmacist, who had been transferred out of KTH to health department on account of corruption where he retired a few months ago, but he declined.

Sources said that Dr Jawad Wasif, a government employee, who was appointed adviser to the health minister in December last year in violation of rules, had also been pressuring the administration for some appointments. But Prof Muqim, a laparoscopic general surgeon, didn’t entertain him ever.

Dr Jawad is president of Insaf Doctors Forum and draws salary from Khyber Medical College as demonstrator.

Health Secretary Dr Syed Farooq Jamil, who rejected all the allegations, told Dawn that KTH medical director and hospital director were removed after the fact-finding inquiry was conducted by the most competent health professionals.

“All those, who have been mentioned in enquiry report, will face action as per rules. We have initiated a proper inquiry and anyone found guilty, will be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

The health secretary said that it was totally baseless that medical director and hospital director were removed on some personal grudge. “KTH is in pathetic conditions and we would improve it within three months,” he added.

However, sources said that if formal inquiries were awaited, then how two heads of a hospital could be removed. “Passing a cannula is not the job of medical director or hospital director. “If it is to take out top men, why the dean, who is also head of institutional management council of the hospital, has not been removed? Why nursing director, a former employee of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, has been spared,” they questioned.

Sources said that no one could be removed without giving show cause notice and opportunity to respond as per judicial judgments and government policy. KTH is the only hospital where consultants, charge Rs600 fee in institution-based practice. Charges in other hospitals are Rs1000 to Rs1500.

“If heads have to roll on mistakes, it was mistake of nursing staff and its head is nursing director,” said sources.

Two doctors, one from the health department and another from the same hospital, have been assigned additional charge of hospital director and medical director of KTH respectively.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2019