MIANWALI, July 23: The medical superintendent (MS) of the District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital has refused to cooperate with an inquiry team appointed by the district government to ascertain the alleged negligence of doctors into the death of a man at the hospital. MS Dr Farooq Ahmed Khan says inquiry officers are junior to him, so they cannot question him.

The skirmish surfaced when District Nazim Obaidullah Khan Shadikhel ordered the district coordination officer (DCO) to hold an inquiry against Dr Farooq and his staff for their negligence into the death of Rustam Khan who died at the hospital allegedly due to non-availability of doctors two weeks ago. The district nazim ordered the inquiry on a complaint by Muhammad Ajmal Khan, brother of the deceased trader.

The DCO appointed district health officer (DHO) Dr Abdul Razaq and Dr Sajjad Husain, medical officer of the Mochh rural health centre, as inquiry officers.

The DHO intimated Dr Farooq through a letter about the inquiry and asked him to remain at his office on July 17.

The MS, however, wrote to him: “You are not a competent authority to conduct an inquiry against me as you are junior to me. I am an officer of grade-18 and a competent authority for an inquiry against a grade-18 official or above is only the health secretary.”

The MS also wrote to the district nazim: “The inquiry officers are junior to me, and as per rules a junior officer cannot conduct the inquiry against his seniors.”

This is not the first time the DHQ hospital’s head has flouted the orders of the district nazim. A few months ago, the district nazim visited the hospital and ordered the transfer of some doctors but his orders were not followed.

District nazim Obaidullah Shadikhel says he had ordered a fact-finding inquiry against the MS and not an inquiry under efficiency and discipline rules. He said the district nazim could take stock of the affairs of the DHQ hospital as it was being funded by the district government.

He said he had apprised the health secretary about the attitude of the MS and affairs of the DHQ hospital.