MULTAN, March 14: The alleged negligence of doctors has claimed the lives of three patients at Nishtar Hospital.

Reports said that a woman patient died on Thursday night due to the negligence of two doctors. Losing their tempers, heirs thrashed the doctors for mishandling the patients that cost her life. To protest the manhandling, the doctors went on strike on the call of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA). The strike caused further loss of two lives in the ICU ward as such patients cannot afford even the slightest of `negligence’.

Naseem Bibi of Old Shujabad Road was brought to the emergency ward in serious condition. Doctors on duty tried to provide liquid diet through drip, but the attendants did not allow it. The doctors took a written statement from attendants that they (doctors) would not be responsible for the consequences.

Dr Sana Arshad and Dr Farhan Rashid, who took the charge in the meanwhile, allegedly gave the diet through drip despite stiff opposition by heirs and the patient died within no time. The enraged heirs thrashed both doctors. The hospital administration immediately called out the Cantonment police who arrested the three heirs, Rashid, Arif and Afzal, and locked them up in the police station. Both doctors were admitted to Ward No 12.

Later, all hospital doctors went on strike and the two patients admitted to the ICU ward, Ramzan and Sultan Ahmed, expired as a result. Traders’ leaders Sofi Abdul Rehman said that whenever any incident of negligence of doctors occurred, the PMA came to their rescue without getting into the facts. He said on his surety the police allowed the three heirs to attend the funeral prayers of the deceased. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

PMA president Dr Salman Waris said the people brought the patients in serious condition and, in the case of death, they put the blame on doctors.

He said heirs of the deceased roughed up the doctors and the PMA had to call the strike against it. He claimed that the strike was observed only in the OPD and the staff of the emergency ward remained on duty. He said the two patients died only because of their serious condition.

Nishter Medical College principal Dr Laiq Siddiqui was unavailable for comments.