LAHORE: The Punjab government on Saturday suspended the medical superintendent and head of the gynaecology department at Lady Willingdon Hospital for “serious negligence in duties” after a video of a surgical procedure went viral on social media.

The video in question showed doctors performing what appeared to be C-sections on two patients in the same operating theatre, with a medical curtain in the middle. The person filming the video can be heard saying that a “competition was underway”.

It is worth mentioning that on Friday, the Punjab health department suspended the training of four postgraduate lady doctors in relation to the incident. After an initial inquiry, the department declared the “conduct as a serious breach of medical ethics” and had sought an explanation from the gynaecology head.

In a press release issued on Saturday, the Punjab government said that the medical superintendent and gynaecology department head had been suspended for “serious negligence in duties”.

It said that five postgraduate residents and two charge nurses had also been suspended and “ordered to report to headquarters”.

It added that the services of a woman medical officer were repatriated to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department.

According to the handout, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said that violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in hospitals would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

It also quoted the secretary of the Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education, Azmat Mahmood, as saying that such alleged actions were a violation of medical ethics, an insult to the dignity of the patient and a violation of professional skills, which were strictly prohibited under government rules and hospital SOPs.

The department also issued separate notifications for the suspension of the medical superintendent and the head of the gynaecology department. The notifications, copies of which are available with Dawn, stated the suspension was on account og “inefficiency and misconduct”. Both were told to report to the department.

It also issued a notification for the suspension of the two charge nurses and the hospital’s cook, directing them to report to the department.

The notification for the repatriation of the woman medical officer to the Health and Population Department said the move was prompted by “misconduct exhibited on the viral social media video”.