ISLAMABAD, Nov 8: An inquiry has found four junior doctors guilty of vandalism at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) about three weeks back, Dawn has learnt reliably.

According to sources, the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development (CAD) held the inquiry and declared three house officers and a medical officer of the hospital guilty of damaging public property and interrupting routine work at the hospital.

On October 20, two doctors were injured when rival groups attacked each other over a strike call given against the appointment of the hospital’s new executive director.

During the brawl, furniture and windowpanes in the executive director’s office were also broken.

The Young Doctors Association’s Islamabad chapter had blamed outsiders for damaging the public property. One security official in the hospital had also said doctors belonging to one of the groups, who had come from outside, damaged the property.

The official said that Associate Professor Amjad Chaudhry, who was working as the acting executive director of the hospital that day, was also not given any cover by the security staff. The senior doctors watched the protestors damaging everything coming their way.

A senior official in the ministry of CAD on the condition of anonymity added: “A letter is being written to the management of Pims to terminate the services of the three house officers, while as per the establishment rules the government is set to start a disciplinary proceeding against the medical officer.”

He said house officers were paid stipends during their practice at teaching hospitals like Pims while a medical officer is a grade 17 government employee.

An administration official in the ministry of CAD added: “The incident earned a bad name for Pims and the federal government.”

The official said the house officers found involved in the vandalism would be repatriated to their respective areas. “Each of the house officer gets around Rs60,000 stipend from the Pims management and they are not supposed to go on such types of hooliganism.”

He added: “We have written letters to the hospital administration and also attached the contract copies and affidavits submitted by these house officers at the time of their joining the hospital for getting training. They had agreed to stay away from any union or political activities, but now we have found the three house officers guilty of
the recent brawl.”

The medical officer, according to the official, was in the forefront during the brawl and a number of officials had also confirmed his presence, he added.

Meanwhile, the YDA in a text message sent to the media threatened to go on a strike. “We have to defend our leaders who are being victimsed by the government.”

It added: “Dr Asfandyar, Dr Taqqi, Dr Shams, Dr Ejaz and Dr Asif Bangash are not alone as we are with them. We will not accept this injustice against our leaders and condemn the unilateral inquiry.”

It said patient services at the hospital would again be suspended in case the ministry failed to withdraw its cases against the YDA leaders. —Imran Ali Teepu