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Mayhem at Lahore hospital leaves 2 patients dead, including Sadiqabad obese man
A Sadiqabad-based taxi driver, who recently underwent treatment for health complications caused by obesity, passed away on Monday after he was left unattended due to commotion in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in Lahore.
Noorul Hassan, weighing 330 kg, had made national headlines last month when he was air lifted on a Pakistan Army helicopter to Lahore for treatment on special directives from Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
According to 55-year-old Noor's doctor, Dr Maazul Hassan, a top laparoscopic surgeon in Lahore, a female patient had passed away at the Shalamar Hospital today after which her relatives reached the hospital and expressed concern about her death.
In the chaos that ensued, Noor and a second patient died "due to the unavailability of staff", Dr Maaz said while speaking to DawnNewsTV. He added that the relatives of the female patient had not intended to cause the deaths but the situation worsened due to the violence.
Additional medical superintendents (AMS) Dr Rizwan and Dr Nayar said that relatives of the female patient had broken windows, switched ventilators off and hit doctors. They added that nurses had left the ICU during the commotion.
A spokesperson for the hospital said that they were investigating the incident and needed to look at CCTV footage. The spokesperson said that chaos had broken out in the hospital during which everyone was trying to save themselves.
Dr Maaz said that he was not present in the hospital during the episode but was told that "a lot of damage" had been caused.
He explained that while the chaos was taking place, Noor was feeling unwell and was left unattended for nearly an hour.
"When they (hospital staff) noted this, they attempted to resuscitate him but were unable to successfully to do so," Dr Maaz said.
"You can't directly blame anyone but staff should have been present," he said.
A spokesperson for the Punjab Healthcare Commission confirmed the deaths while announcing that a three-member committee had been formed that had started investigations.
Dr Maaz said that just yesterday, Noor's family had shared the positive progress his health had made. He said that the patient had been kept on elective ventilation after he experienced breathing problems so that he could be discharged after six or seven days.
He said that Noor's death had occurred at 8:15am.
Noor's son said that doctors were not responsible for his father's death. He said that Noor was to be removed from the ventilator today. His wife added that doctors had said that her husband had suffered a heart attack.
Noor — a resident of Mohallah Islampura in Sadiqabad — had appealed to Gen Bajwa on social media to take notice of his predicament and assist him in seeking treatment.
Sadiqabad Assistant Commissioner Kashif Dogar had told Dawn that Noor could not travel in an ambulance by road due to his weight and that he was a poor taxi driver who resided in a small house.
During the process of shifting him, Rescue 1122 personnel had broken the main door and wall of Hassan's house to bring him out. Dogar said the rescue team had shifted Hassan onto a mini truck and transported him to a football ground in Sadiqabad where a helipad was fashioned for the air ambulance's landing.
Comments (90) Closed
unfortunate
Shame on the doctors and para-medical staff for their gross negligence.
There is anarchy in the whole country. Even hospitals are not safe and our political leadership is spending most of the time on international trips
Why he was not admitted in Army Hospital?
Very sad. Rest in peace.
Poo guy...What can i say except Inna Lilahi Wa inna Ilahi Rajion...
Pakistan will never be a successful country, unless the people fix themselves. Especially those ocuppying gov offices...
Very sad in spite of all the effort put in
What's wrong with the hospitals in our country we need proper reforms and guidelines with hefty fines for inactions as human lives are effected
So sad . Good job PMIK helped him to get to the hospital.
Sad to hear about Noorul Hassan, weighing 330 kg, made national headlines last month when he was air lifted on a Pakistan Army helicopter to Lahore for treatment on special directives from Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Died just because of a protest of one hour although having support of entire nation.SAD and very SAD for a country like PAKISTAN.
Destiny! RIP. You are free from your health challenges forever. Condolences to the family.
this is so sad and tragic, unnecessary death of 2 or 3 patients due to violence from another patient's family/relatives. This is against the law and the culprits should be charged for murder! unacceptable.
What a shame. Punjab health minister; Resign
Sad state of Pakistani people. The so medical professionals are not professional nor humans.
A cover up story, post operation complications are the cause.
We can't keep our emotions in check.
Our country lacks systems that are supposed to work, monitor and regulate things like healthcare, education, foods standards and of course tax payment. Ik is trying to implement this but after 30 years of abuse it will be a hard task. Only a strict law that punishes those who fail can correct this.
Very unfortunate death of Noor Hassan. All tried well but an incident in Hospital caused his death due to an hour of non attendance, when he was to be discharged in a few days. Now, his relatives will be left to see how to carry his body back home for burial.
What a gruesome, gigantic, grave and great tragedy?
This should never happen. Unavailability of staff? Commotion in ICU? Well where are the guards? What is this? We literally have no control of out hospitals, airports, public facilities.
RIP.
It’s the arrogant and condescending attitude of staff and doctors that causes people to riot after a death of close relative.
Shameful
Govt must ask hospitals to post information for the patients/relatives and contact info of hospital MS and police be available on the bills/posters.
Our society is responsible for his murder. Poor soul. May he rest in peace.
doctors are certainly not at fault here. Strict action should be taken against people who threatened doctors, turned off ventilators and damaged hospital equipment.
Turning off the ventilator of a patient is the same as killing him.
The government of Punjab under the leadership of a cricketer - who won a world cup :-). congratulations expats who have no stakes in Pakistan
a great tragedy...why attendant get violet when some bodies endangering other serious patient ? they should go for legal process
So pathetic on part of those involved in this negligence.
What a disgrace
Where is hospital security unit? A disgraceful incident. Those causing the chaos must be held responsible! R I P
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
This is sad state of affairs. Such disruptions and lack of security for staff to continue to do their work is essential. This incident should be fullyinvestigated and proper protocols for such disruption in hospital setting shall be made compulsory in all hospitals across the country.
Criminal acts by the "female patient's " family. How callous can they be? Turning off ventilators and pulling out power cords in the ICU! They should be booked for murder!
PMIK should resign or ask Buzdar to resign.
What kind of a country we live in......???!!!! no responsibility, no accountability, no remorse.....!!! Utter shame...
Why can't the violent mob be held responsible? Do they have political clout?
Charge those individuals for murder that disrupted the peace of hospital.
Poor guy died due to obesity, nonetheless. Sad!
The whole staff should be jailed
RIP. It would have been safe to be obese than getting knocked out in hospital
As per son and the wife of Noorul Hassan have confirmed that he died of heart failure.
The news item informs that relatives of another patient caused commotion that made the para medical staff frightened. If hospitals become routine hostage to hooliganism, then it will be difficult to stop such most unfortunate mishaps.
Very unfortunate and tragic. But how do we expect doctors and paramedics to carry on duties when patients' relatives are smashing windows and threatening them with their lives? We should provide them with a safe working environment first and then talk about negligence...
Oh the relatives are responsible for this. Everyone needs a safe environment to work. How is expressing dissatisfaction in the form of violence, breaking windows and shutting off ventilators not a criminal offence
People who attacked the hospital must be taken to court for the 2 deaths.
Condolences! Naya Pakistan in the making!
Had he not admitted in hospital, he would have survived for more some time. Shame on selfish, careless and shameless doctors.
Very sad to hear a patient dreaming to get up from the bed gone with one more patient just because of protest for another dead patient.
Not uncommon for the staff especially doctors to be beaten up after the death of a patient. Especially if there has been an element of negligence rest assured another life is at risk. Seen that and could not do much when the enraged and aggrieved relatives take on the hospitals.
People creating commotion and violence in hospitals in Pakistan is not new .at every govt hospital and even private ones this is common . Public at large have become barbarians. Shameful act of public. Govt need to enforce rangers in hospitals now .
@ABCD, He was admitted in army hospital, Lahore.
@Adnan Mazher Khan, Violence against doctors and nurses has become all too common in India and perhaps Pakistan. Doctors went on national work stoppage in India . Both better protection for medical people and better communication with emotional ill informed relatives are needed.
The relatives of the dead patients should be charged for murder. Nothing, absolutely nothing, allows anyone to interrupt ICUs and switch off ventilators. This is clear murder.
Another sad story!
What a show....
@Adnan Mazher Khan, what can doctors do when family members create ruckus? Why do you blame doctors everytime?
This is the height of irresponsibility. Some heads must roll and responsibles must go to jail.
@Adnan Mazher Khan, How is it the doctors fault. When people are breaking and damaging the public property. Ventilators were being turned off in the commotion that was being caused and everyone was trying to save himself. Clearly the real culprits here are the people who created the disturbance rather than medical staff
Victim of lawlessness. RIP.
If the violence and "switching off ventilators" even slightly contributed to the deaths, the relatives ought to be booked for causing or contributing to the deaths.
There should be a NATIONAL health service overseeing the affairs of the provincial health officials. This de-centralization is OK for other departments, but NOT for the health and wellbeing of the people of the nation.
Naya Pakistan in the making.
@Adnan Mazher Khan, it’s not the staff. The people who turned off ventilators on critically ill patients are to blame. As staff like any human being, your first responsibility is to save yourself, and to save patients after. The fact that everyone is blaming staff instead of the criminals who were harassing staff doing their job speaks volumes of the twisted attitudes everyone has in Pakistan.
@Adnan Mazher Khan, How do u blame it on doctors ! You need to look at the whole episode.... if there is a fight going on everyone runs to save his or her life. Inquiry should be done and those responcible should be punished
The real culprits in this case are the relatives/ attendants who caused mayhem in the hospital, shut down ventilators and disrupted the normal working of the hospital staff. They need to be brought to justice.
Put those who created havoc in the hospital in jail and make them pay compensation to hospital and Noors family.
listen everyone, the staff have to safe their life too. Don't blame them, arrest those who caused this situation. Check CCTV ASAP.
I think people do not even read the article before jumping on the blame train. Biggest culprit in this case was that women family who created chaos in hospital. 3 people died because of that.
There is no need for committee. All the staff should be fired at once. They didn't do justice to their oath.
@Adnan Mazher Khan,
This is sad Public attack medical staff and I think , there safety is also very important
thats why elites move to other countries for better treatment
@Adnan Mazher Khan, What do the doctors and paramedical staff can do when people are breaking the ICU and turning off ventilators. Very unfortunate and a clear indication of how people can take the law in their own hands in our country. Very unfortunate.
Unfortunately it has become a very disturbing trend in Pakistan that every time a patient dies, his/her relatives resort to violence against the medical personnel (specially doctors) and damaging the public property. This is clearly a sign of ignorance and of the overall corruption of the society. General public tends to take the side of the patient/family without knowing the facts and stereotyping the medical personnel.
@Babbar, you should think about what enraged them so.
Shocking state of affairs. Sue... Sue... Sue... Tourist alert!
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
@Pro Democracy , are you real?
This sounds very very dodgy... is the specialist obesity surgeon trying to hide operation complications.. you can only diagnose death from a heart attack only after a post mortem... has this been discussed with the family???
35 years of PML N governance summary
Politicians have dumb down the general public. This is the result of it. These people cut the same branch which they were sitting on it.
Pretty obvious doctor was incompetent, investigation should be done on his qualification, certifications and past experience. Also if there are so many deaths in the hospital the whole staff should be investigated for their qualification and competence.
It is a sad for the nation of Pakistan.
@Adnan Mazher Khan, What an analysis Bro, thumbs up
The guy hit global headlines after 'Successful' surgery in Pakistan. Passed away within one week and now the blame is being put upon some ruckus created in hospital by some relatives. I think this is a failure of medical system that is being covered up.
This scenario can only exist in a lawless and primitive society. It is the duty and obligation of Health care providers to give the best possible care, in conformity with recognized standards, given in a timely, appropriate and compassionate manner. It is the duty of the patients and family members to participate in understanding the disease process, analyze treatment options and seek opinions before embarking on the treatment. They must communicate effectively and ensure optimal results.
Privatize medical colleges, then these doctors will know how much govt (people) is(are) spending on them. Shame on you so called doctors, like most of the professionals in the country. obviously they would have their reasons too.
Punjab Health Minister is incompetent and Hospitals care are neglected. Whole Health department need overhaul.
Doctors, lawyers, journalists all a true reflection of our society.
poor management , poor planning, poor written all over. Why can't they manage the situation as it needs to be. Why so lousy arrangement.
They operated too early on Noorul Hassan. He should have been on a diet program until he had reduced 100kg.
The relatives of the female patient should arrested and charge with murder.