ISLAMABAD, Jan 17: The government has taken note of increasing incidents of negligence and dereliction of duties on the part of senior doctors of the Capital’s two hospitals.

It has also issued a set of recommendations to the hospitals to improve their efficiency, an official source told Dawn.

The source said the decision was taken in view of the recent strictures passed by the federal ombudsman which observed that the services being provided at the Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH) and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) were unsatisfactory.

The ombudsman had taken serious view of a complaint registered by a citizen whose daughter was not properly treated at the emergency ward of the FGSH. He said despite having employed a large number of specialists and physicians in senior cadres, junior medical officers were being posted as casualty medical officers (CMOs) while senior doctors only attended outdoor patients.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the health ministry made a commitment to proceed against negligent medical officers, who were subsequently suspended.

The health secretary promised the ombudsman that not only would he take action, but, also ensure implementation of the orders of the Mohtasib Office.

According to the recommendations, senior physicians/specialists, working in grade 19 or above, should daily attend emergency cases and outdoor patients in the first shift, i.e from 8am to 2pm. The specialists/medical officers in grade 18 should be entrusted with the same responsibility in other shifts.

The health ministry has also directed the hospitals to submit monthly patients attendance report to the health secretary.

The recommendations stated that the competent medical officers should be posted as CMOs in both the hospitals and no house-officer or trainee registrar (who are not regular employees) be assigned the job of the CMO.

Similarly, complaint cells, under the supervision of a senior doctor, should also be set up in both the hospitals, and notice boards be erected near the complaint cells, informing patients that in case of non-provision of proper treatment/negligence of doctors, they should approach the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat.

Meanwhile, a source at Pims told Dawn that almost six postgraduate trainee residents were regularly posted at the emergency ward to perform the duties of the CMO on rotation out of a list of 48 borrowed from different disciplines.