KARACHI, May 28: The Pakistan Medical Association has demanded that the Civil Hospital Karachi provide physical security to all doctors round the clock and immediately get an FIR registered against persons alleged to have beaten up doctors and damaged hospital property on Friday.

“The members take a serious view of the apathy of the CHK administration who allowed a patient’s relatives to beat duty doctors and damage government property for more than one hour. No security guard or administrative representative came to rescue the three doctors,” said a press statement by the PMA executive body which met to discuss the issue.

Three doctors were beaten up by attendants of a patient, an old accident victim being treated for multiple injuries at the orthopaedic ward for 12 days, who suddenly collapsed and couldn’t be revived.

The attendants accused the doctors of administering a wrong injection to the patient and leaving him unattended in the emergency department. One doctor received head injuries in the violence and is under treatment at a private hospital.

Speaking to Dawn, Dr Idrees Adhi, president of the Pakistan Medical Association-Karachi, said the incidence of violence at government and private sector hospitals had increased in recent months, “a fact acknowledged by the chief minister in his recent address to doctors at the PMA House”.

“We have been demanding for a long time that the government set up an independent body to investigate incidents of medical negligence. But there has been no response,” he said, adding that hostile conditions were forcing doctors to leave the country.

The CHK administration, he said, needed to tighten up security, also by curtailing political influence.

The Young Doctors Association-CHK also held a meeting at the hospital and raised serious concerns over the incident which took place near the medical superintendent office.

Dr Ambreen Zaidi, president of the YDA-CHK, demanded security for doctors while criticising the media for “negative propaganda against the doctors”.

“No one called for a strike right now and we only shared our fears at the meeting. A delegation of the YDA also met the medical superintendent and conveyed the concerns. We want the government to take an interest in the matter,” she said while claiming that the patient attendants had got an FIR registered against the doctors before the administration could take any measure.

“It’s the job of the police to register an FIR. We have sent a complaint in writing,” said Dr Saeed Qureishi, the CHK MS. The CHK orthopaedic ward remained closed on Saturday.