MULTAN: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Multan chapter, says that the wife of the man who attacked and injured Nishtar Medical University Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ijaz Masood was suffering from stage-4 breast cancer.

On Saturday night, suspect Sakhi Qureshi shot at and injured Dr Masood in a drive-by shooting near Lohari Gate and fled.

PMA President Prof Dr Masood Harraj said on Monday the suspect Qureshi brought his wife Saima Madni (28), of Hasan Parwana Colony, to the hospital for cancer treatment and tests showed the effects of breast cancer had attacked her brain. He said that the treatment of the patient was done in Nishtar Hospital through laser therapy and medications.

“Unfortunately, the patient could not survive despite providing complete treatment while the family of the patient was also informed about the condition of the patient,” he said. He said that the attacker posted his confession video on social media where he distorted the facts about the patient’s disease and treatment by the doctors.

“It’s impossible for the doctors to provide treatment to the cancer patient of this level,” he said. He said that doctors were providing excellent treatment to the patients in Nishtar and other hospital despite limited resources.

Doctors on the call of PMA, Young Doctors Association and Pioneer Unity and YDA (Reformers) went on strike at outpatient departments of the Nishtar Hospital after 11am on Monday. They also held a protest demonstration where speakers said that it was unfortunate that after the incidents of attacks on young doctors in emergency and indoor wards of the hospital, now doctors were facing murder attacks.

They demanded strict laws for the protection of doctors so that the people who torture or attack the doctors should be punished. The police included anti-terrorism section in the first information report and started investigation.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2019