Infant Nashwa, left paralysed due to alleged medical negligence, passes away at Karachi hospital
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Nine-month-old infant Nashwa, who was left paralysed earlier this month after she was allegedly injected with the wrong dosage of a solution at the Darul Sehat Hospital in Karachi, passed away on Monday.
The infant's father, Qaiser Ali, spoke briefly to reporters after his daughter passed away this morning. "My daughter fought very hard but she lost," he said, overcome with emotion.
"Please do something so that another person's daughter is not lost," he pleaded. "Otherwise news reports like this will keep running, and officials will keep paying visits, but nothing will change."
A first information report registered by Ali on April 15 stated that on April 6, he had taken his twins to the hospital for treatment of diarrhoea.
On April 7, one of the two children, identified as Nashwa, was allegedly administered an overdose of potassium chloride and that too not via a drip, the FIR said. Minutes later, her lips turned blue and she began having trouble breathing.
She was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for 45 minutes, after which her breathing function was restored, and then placed on a ventilator.
On April 12, when Nashwa was taken off the ventilator, doctors informed the father that she "may have suffered a brain injury" due to lack of oxygen supply to the brain that might have been a result of CPR performed on her for 45 minutes.
The FIR stated that a subsequent CT scan revealed that due to lack of oxygen to the brain, the child’s hands, feet, eyes and mouth had been paralysed.
Later, she was shifted to the Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) for further treatment.
The hospital's spokesperson, Anjum Rizvi, confirmed that the infant passed away this morning.
Rizvi said that Nashwa was admitted to LNH last Sunday. He explained that her condition did not exhibit consistent improvement despite doctors' best efforts.
Her condition began worsening this morning, he said. "Her lungs slowly stopped absorbing oxygen and between 9:30-9:40am this morning, she passed away."
On Sunday, police had arrested three staff members of the private hospital in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, including a female doctor.
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Comments (101) Closed
Apr 22, 2019 12:26pm
This is an criminal act...The stakeholders of the hospital should be arrested and make an example....so that others hospitals learn the lesson...They are in the market not only to make money but provide a professional services...Just arresting a person is not fair on the part of the patients who has lost their infant...Can our LEAs be so insensitive and irresponsible..
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Apr 22, 2019 12:28pm
DarulSehat must be held accountable. All hospitals should. Doctors go through rigorous torturing 30 hour shifts most of the time alone and short in man power, while lazy consultants sit at home enjoying TV or travelling on Pharma's gifted trips abroad.
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Apr 22, 2019 12:30pm
Can bet they will arrwst only the most junior staff to show arrests. No doctor or senior will be touched. Lets see how well media follows this and updates us abt arrest of true culprits..
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Apr 22, 2019 12:30pm
If the cosmopolitan city has such standards then what about the rest of the country..?!
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Apr 22, 2019 12:36pm
This angelic baby's face still swirls in my mind from the news I saw on TV. I remember the father crying, I am just speechless, there is absolutely no words that can console the parents.
This negligence MUST not go unpunished.
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Apr 22, 2019 12:37pm
Authorities are humbly requested to take strict & focused remedial actions to deny such unfortunate deaths.
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Apr 22, 2019 12:38pm
The perpetrators should get due punishment. A human life is not to be played with
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Apr 22, 2019 12:42pm
My heart cries for the little angel. Severe punishment must be given for this negligence. RIP little one.
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Apr 22, 2019 12:48pm
Book the Hospital owners along with doctors under terrorism law.
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Apr 22, 2019 12:49pm
It all comes down to accountability and lack of law and systems in Pakistan, another poor child suffered.
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Apr 22, 2019 12:50pm
Extreme sort of unprofessionalism was exhibited by doctors. They should be made accountable including the medical institute from where they have got their degrees.
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Apr 22, 2019 12:56pm
What a heart-breaking, mind-boggling and soul-searching tragedy?
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Apr 22, 2019 01:04pm
where is the CM Sindh and Health Minister ?.
They are the custodians of Sindh dharti.
No administration whatsoever is present or functional in this huge city to check hospitals/restaurants.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:05pm
Just check how Sindh govt is recruiting doctors on contract basis :)
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Apr 22, 2019 01:05pm
This incident should get proper investigation and responsible people should be taken to task. We have this on numerous occasions that due to wrong injections or dosage by hospitals doctors / stakeholders people lost their loved ones, but haven't seen anyone getting justice on such horrific life taking blunders. Sincere request to Govt and Regulating bodies to look into this incident and setout example for others in the medical industry. If proven perpetrator should get at least lifetime sentenced.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:07pm
Punish them and make an example for all Medical professionals, hospitals. Doctor's Attendants can't be allowed to work as Butcher
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Apr 22, 2019 01:09pm
The private hospitals are not run by qualified staff they are run by gangs of thugs and the fact there is no regulatory body anybody and everybody can open one up.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:12pm
Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi rajeoon.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:15pm
Horrible & Shoking....
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Apr 22, 2019 01:17pm
Potassium chloride is one of the injections in Lethal injection used to kill people. It is given slowly through a drip not stat through syringe.
Who is to blame here? Whoever administered it or whoever charted it. There should be proper training of the staff.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:18pm
This is definitely a negligence case and I ask: Was the death of infant happened because of fake injection, incorrect prescription or incompetent medical staff? Answers will be within these three questions - expose incompetent hospital management and punish them according to the law. (Awam ki Awaz).
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Apr 22, 2019 01:23pm
No Use Of Crying .This is Dead society .
Nothing will be done against those or many others criminal.
We are living worst rule of law.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:25pm
It seem we are diverting our anger and pain on doctors and para medical staff instead of the system in which we are living.The entire system is corrupt and must be changed.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:26pm
Was the doctor arrested?
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Apr 22, 2019 01:27pm
Why doesn't govt cancel the hospital's license? Arresting someone won't make any difference, it won't give justice to an innocent baby.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:28pm
@Asad, What a terrible idea. Please stop suggesting such terrible ideas.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:30pm
What can you expect from our doctors when they got the degree by copying and fraud?
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Apr 22, 2019 01:43pm
Country needs a proper enforcement of laws relating to Medical Malpractice or such incidents will happen again. :-(
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Apr 22, 2019 01:44pm
Confiscate the hospital and all the properties of the doctors and paramedics. Throw the culprits in jails for life.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:44pm
@Asad, dont be so overreactive.
It is medical negligence and there are laws to tackle it.just apply stricty rules for medical professionals licensing and assure quality in healthcare.
Why terrorism?
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Apr 22, 2019 01:53pm
Human errors and mistakes do occur and are not intentional. They can be minimised by good rigorous systems and checks, but cannot be completely eradicated. A thorough investigation is required and then system improved. Putting an individual in jail is NOT the answer. If system is broke, another individual will commit a similar error. Children need to be treated seperately, as the requirements of drugs are completely different to adults. Potassium should only be given IV in ITU setting after checks by at least two qualified staff members. Other similar rules need to be devised and implemented to minimise errors. System is at fault. Individuals less so
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Apr 22, 2019 01:56pm
Hospital business is really, really difficult. Mistakes happen in every sector, but when they happen here it usually means paying with one's life.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:57pm
Inna lillah e wa inna ilehae rajaeoun
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Apr 22, 2019 01:58pm
Exemplary punishment and accountability is not the only thing that needs to be done. A re-evaluation of processes, training, and cross-checks should be done, so that there is no next time.
Only punishment does not improve the system. Tangible procedural improvements are also necessary.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:01pm
Just one question comes to my mind, when will the justice system start making an example out of criminals?
For how long will the people of Pakistan lose their innocent family members through the hands of such butchers who call themselves white collar personnel?
RIP Nashwa. The void created by her absence is indeed irreparable for the family.
Her father was a fortunate man whos voice was heard on media. There are countless families whos voice go unheard and have to suffer similar fate.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:04pm
Sindh govt is also fully responsible for this tragedy!! they should also be held accountable for this.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:18pm
This is a gross mistake/negligence on part of nursing staff......Or they are so disheartened that they dont care about human life...
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Apr 22, 2019 02:18pm
Sindh Govt to be held accountable.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:22pm
Sorry to hear that. RIP from India. Kids anywhere in the world must get the best facilities. Govt must owe as a responsibility and not just for duty.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:27pm
Tears in my eyes as I imagine the agony the baby had to suffer before leaving this cruel world. May you find solace, child
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Apr 22, 2019 02:31pm
Follow the money....these hospitals are businesses run by private proprietors. The contract of treatment is made between customer( patient) and the person receiving the payment ( business owner). Doctors and nurses are under explicit instructions from the business owner to carry our tasks with the given tools. The person nominated in FIR ought to be the business owner on charges of corporate ownership. As it is, the said hospital is already running a diploma mill medical and dental degree program, a bank branch which are already against the law and dubious at best.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:32pm
I can't believe this can happen in Pakistan and even when Mr Imran Khan is Prime Minister.
RIP innocent Angel.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:43pm
I think Doctors / Staff should be penalized and measures should be taken to keep check on such incidents and the Licenses of Medical Practitioners should be cancelled or Suspended in case of negligence.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:47pm
Medical staff have a duty of care and negligence can't be tolerated.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:48pm
The only solace available to the parents is to bring the culprit to the justice and amend laws governing the medical facilities in the province. Name the reforms as Nashwa Reforms. This is not the first incident and probably would not be the last. Let not the money and political position influence the investigation. CM Sahab you are also father, cann't say more than that. The father and the family of Nashwa will be under immense pressure, as we recently witnessed, let's stand next to them. A test case for civil society.
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Apr 22, 2019 02:58pm
Give the responsible same injection in the same way and admit them in ICU then see if they have any luck to live. I mean is it some dream or we are living in a real modern world?
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Apr 22, 2019 03:03pm
Incompetent PPP's govt. For the last 30 years, these corrupt mafias destroyed everything.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:05pm
Medical errors kill a lot of people.it should be investigated thoroughly and for once the findings made public. If the doctor ordered the potassium iv push, investigate her medical degree. If fake let's investigate the pmdc registration of her medical school.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:08pm
What is the purpose of arresting staff members. Where are the doctors and that notorious owner who threatened the grieving father. This is intolerable. Hospital should be sealed and the ownership including doctors should be hanged for criminal act.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:09pm
Feel sorry for that little girl, but nothing is gonna happen..
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Apr 22, 2019 03:16pm
@Sameer, all the consultants have also done the 30 hours duty during their house officers training. so you cant blame only consultants. on duty RMO and a person who transfuse kcl are equally responsible for the negligence therefore their license should be suspended at least for 2 years and hospital should have to pay huge compensatory amount to her family.although money can not replace their loved one but might reduce their financial burden which they have face during whole scenario.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:20pm
Sindh government should take stern action against those who indiscriminately distributed licences to the private hospitals.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:21pm
Her picture breaks me into pieces
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Apr 22, 2019 03:23pm
This is heart-breaking, as a father of a young daughter I can feel her parent's pain and helplessness in this whole fiasco. The hospital's management MUST be held accountable and just arrests would not cut it. RIP little princess.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:28pm
Incompetent doctors and incompetent hospitals.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:29pm
Everyone knows how poor healthcare conditions are in Pakistan.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:29pm
Hospitals in Pakistan are nursing homes at best.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:30pm
Nothing will change. A UK resident of Pakistani origin recently visited Pakistan and died on his third day due to complications with dialysis in a hospital there. His kids wanted to bring the body back to UK, but the process was so complex they decided not to get the post mortem done and bury the dead in Pakistan. I don't think those kids would ever return to Pakistan.
Such things are common in Pakistan. There is no due consideration given to patient history, proper diagnosis, or adverse drug interactions. There is such over use of antibiotics and no one seems to think about the long term disadvantage. Doctors make money from medical stores (commission) and from drug manufacturer/suppliers (commission). The best example was when I saw a patient with no oral ingestion issues being administered IV paracetamol rather than the tablet. I don't know what the solution is. Perhaps there is none.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:31pm
@Ahmed bin Babar, hospitals in your country are very poor.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:31pm
That's why Sushma Swaraj's Twitter account is always filled with medical visa requests.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:32pm
Heart shattering NEWS, such a beautiful kid :(
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Apr 22, 2019 03:37pm
This hospital must be closed imedateley and owner and dr must be charged on murder and negligence charges and should be hanged . Also gov should impose some kind of check and balance on hospitals and dr criteria. As most of the dr are not up to practice standard and are qualified by medical colleges for the sake of tution money.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:38pm
Touched! Imagine the pain the 9 months baby girl endured. At first, overdose of potassium chloride (KCL) intravenously rather than via drip.......Causing breathing trouble, then 45 minutes administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).......causing brain injury......but CT scan revealed that due to lack of oxygen to the brain, the child’s hands, feet, eyes and mouth had been paralysed. Very very unfortunate!
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Apr 22, 2019 03:38pm
This is no place to lead a life in security and respect. sad
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Apr 22, 2019 03:50pm
In UK there is BMC British Medical Council which regulates, ALL UK medical staff. Similar organisation should be created in Pakistan which can prosecute medical staff for negligence regulate them scrutinize them supervise them. A dental Council should be for similar purpose for dentistry staff
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Apr 22, 2019 03:59pm
RIP kiddo... This cruel and heartless world dont deserve u..my fairy... So heartbroken and shattered
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Apr 22, 2019 04:00pm
New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care" by John T. James, PhD[5] that estimates 400,000 unnecessary deaths annually in hospitals alone. Using these numbers, medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States, only behind heart disease and cancer. This is in USA. So errors and omissions are a big cause of health care cost.
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Apr 22, 2019 04:14pm
When are we going learn to give importance to human lives? Private hospitals are so commercialized & there only motive is to earn money on the expense of someone's health. The nurses and support staff isn't properly groomed and they are merely qualified for this job. However hospital administration rely on them 100% and senior doctor's just come for few hours visit with the motive is to earn high salaries by delegating task on to nurses. In the end no one take the responsibility of this blunder, a family has to go through. I can't imagine the pain of her parent. We fail again as society and it is our daily affair. We just comment and not able to contribute anything to change this system!
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Apr 22, 2019 04:20pm
No words , I wish she didn’t bear any pain and Rest In Peace , love you sweetheart
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Apr 22, 2019 04:20pm
Tears rolled down to be honest listening to heart sinking shrieks of the aggrieved father of infant Nashwa saying that my daughter was very brave but lost the battle due to negligence and inefficiency of doctor and (a) while in tears facing many tv cameras he repeatedly complained that nothing will happen in my beloved Pakistan except the officials will issue statements, initiate investigations or at the most issue condolences (b) he wished that it should not happen alike with anyone in future. Should newly appointed Health Minister Dr Zafar in Iran with PM Imran step down since it happened while he is on the throne? His predecessor Aamir Kiyani is the only minister who has been thrown out by PM because medicine process soared and people did not get proper treatment at public hospitals. In Kuwait doctors have been jailed for committing any medical error and I wish it must be introduced and enforced in Pakistan as well. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi
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Apr 22, 2019 04:21pm
Put the doc behind bar
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Apr 22, 2019 04:23pm
It is a crying shame that malpractice lawsuits are never prosecuted successfully.
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Apr 22, 2019 04:33pm
Pak medical graduates all want to go abroad and their training is poor.
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Apr 22, 2019 04:37pm
They killed an innocent child. The government or the heath department won’t do anything I guarantee
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Apr 22, 2019 04:39pm
@Ahmed bin Babar,
Mr. Ahmed bin Babar,
Rest of the country?
Worse than major cities.
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Apr 22, 2019 04:47pm
@Tarun Paliwal ,
Mr. Tarun Paliwal,
Imran Khan is for some months.
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, etc., are in the depth of mal-administration and corruption.
It will take years and years coming on the right path.
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Apr 22, 2019 04:49pm
Sad. Heart breaking.
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Apr 22, 2019 04:52pm
@Leo,
Mr. Leo,
Not all,
Nobody can generalise.
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Apr 22, 2019 04:56pm
This is the height of negligence..... I myself being a doctor, i am unable to understand how come somebody ( a doctor or a Nursing Staff?) could give undiluted Inj.Potassium Chloride directly in to the vein ?????...I have never heard such thing in the past ...Either the medical staffs are so poorly trained/educated that they lack the basic knowledge of medicine.. OR..the regulatory body/hospotal adminstration doesn't exist...horrible situation
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Apr 22, 2019 05:03pm
This is once again an EYE OPENER for all our Health Regulators , politicians should be stopped blaming for now onward as Selection of Doctors , Para Medics staff , strict checking on Hospitals is the sole responsibility of Sectory Health and his related bodies..
Local Doctors along with Sectory Health and his staff must resign and trailed under criminal law.
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Apr 22, 2019 05:03pm
How did this injection even get into the hands of the person who administered it? Gross negligence, the license of concerned doctors must be revoked.
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Apr 22, 2019 05:26pm
This happens in most hospitals in Pakistan. And this explains why most of the Pakistani elite gets treated in foreign hospitals and gets their own children settled in foreign lands? If you want good treatment in Pakistan, the only option is a few top notch hospitals which charge you an arm an leg. The rest will be closed down in any developed countries after a cursory check. The health system in most (not all) developing countries is in shambles, and I imagine half the patients die in small to medium range hospitals due to malpractice.
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Apr 22, 2019 05:38pm
Punishment works if it is an individual purposefully disregarding the law for some gain. It will make no difference if the problem lay in system. Which is what I believe the case here in Pakistan. To fix the system, we first need to know what it is (which we don't, because there is no system. It's a mess). Only then we can learn where the deficiencies are. And only after that, can we propose, implement, and assess a solution.
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Apr 22, 2019 05:49pm
Potassium Chloride is used to stop the heart from beating during open heart surgery and during executions in the US. It should never have been given as an injection. It should be given slowly as an infusion. I am not sure that the person administering the drug knew that
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Apr 22, 2019 06:29pm
RIP little angel. No wonder why our beloved politicians and their families run to UK for medical treatment. Iran, please sort this on top priority, we the tax payers deserve much better than this anyway.
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Apr 22, 2019 06:38pm
Yes on first hand one might think that doctors should be arrested but the wise decision might be to look into other matters so as to bring out reality and root cause of such acts. One of them might be doctors vs patient ratio and trained staff not only in Darul Sehat but everywhere........ were the staff rested what is their duty cycle....... etc etc
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Apr 22, 2019 06:39pm
My heart sinks
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Apr 22, 2019 06:46pm
My grandmother suffered a similar fate at Maroof Hospital, F-10, Islamabad in 2017. Negligence by untrained staff resulted in her death. Hospital administrations should take notice and hire competent staff on merit only. Mistakes by hospital staff can cause loss of precious lives.
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Apr 22, 2019 06:46pm
No wonder why elite class of Pakistan travels to India for treatment!!!
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Apr 22, 2019 07:02pm
@sanjeev, Big NO...only some weak and poor person ...
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Apr 22, 2019 07:22pm
Bilawal rather blaming pti and performing train march visit sindh hospitals.. after all they have govt in sindh..
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Apr 22, 2019 07:29pm
On one hand, Pakistan dedicates a fully functional state of the art hospital to Afghanistan, and itself is a victim of medical negligence. What a paradox.
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Apr 22, 2019 07:41pm
The owner of the hospital is responsible for this death. There should be an investigation to find out the reasons of this negligence. Based on the investigation report changes should be made in the standard operating procedure to avoid such incidence in future.
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Apr 22, 2019 07:42pm
Our prayers for the baby and her family. From India
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Apr 22, 2019 07:51pm
Inallilah e wa ina illehe rajeoon.
This is one person's error who administered wrong medicine. We as a Nation are so emotional that we want to head of everyone. Infact people are demanding to shut the hospital ! Typical mob mantality.
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Apr 22, 2019 08:17pm
In the modern world, no doctor give injections to younger kids. Why in the world in Pakistan every doctor rush to inject babies.
Are these doctors are really doctor or butchers.
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Apr 22, 2019 08:41pm
Nothing is going to be done. Officials are going to take money and close the case.
Very strange, no ine has investigated the financiers/ partners to this hospital.
E
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Apr 22, 2019 09:07pm
Hospital should be closed immediately and its management, doctor involved and other relevant staff should be taken to task and given exemplary punishment.
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Apr 23, 2019 07:20am
In 2014 Cedar Sinaii one of the most expensive hospital injected 50000 i.u of heparin in twins of famous Hollywood star. Though the 9 month infant survived but carelessness happens everywhere. I remember in one of renowned hospital in Karachi consultant wrote 1/2 Mucaine, as I was doing my evening round I saw nurse (student) preparing infusion with Mucaine, I causally asked the nurse what was she doing she said preparing IV. I thought she was joking then I saw her walking to a patient in ITC, I broke my round and asked her where she taking the infusion set she set to give it to the patient. I stopped her but weekend are not good for patients in majority of Pakistan holidays. In US we use EMR that is linked to HL7 and FHIR and generally such disposition are flagged and prescribing physician gets a flag and have to approve
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Apr 23, 2019 08:55am
All these corrupt criminal are matrices fail on fraud degree employed in hospitals
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Apr 23, 2019 07:39pm
Very sad news indeed. I can't even imagine the pain and suffering this young soul went through. Parents and family are off course devastated. They probably want to burn down the hospital!!
I would want to have a proper inquiry and then a case tried in court. Was it the doctor who gave the wrong order? Was it pharmacist you approved the wrong order? Was it the medication nurse who administered the wrong order? Even a medical student knows that KCL is never given as stat injection! its always given in a small drip and run slowly over a few hours, so in my mind, if a doctor has written order like this, they need to be punished with fine, jail, homicide charges, and banned from medicine forever! Same is true for the nurse!! every nurse knows that KCL can never be administered as a stat and has to be run slowly. This is basic competency! The nurse who gave the medication whatever order doctor wrote is also equally responsible!
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