ISLAMABAD: An inquiry report about a fake doctor caught working at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) five months ago has suggested supervision, ownership and responsibility at a senior level to discourage such incidents in the hospital.

It also suggested that Pims may formulate a strategy to ensure attendance and implementation of duty hours for all doctors.

Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) Chairman Mian Ateeq Shaikh, who had ordered the inquiry, told Dawn that the committee would ensure implementation of the recommendations.

In Sept 2018, a fake doctor was caught at Pims where he had been practicing for six months. During the initial investigation, it transpired that two postgraduates (PGs) had hired the individual, who was basically a vendor of medicines and instruments, as their proxy and were paying him.

Later, the Senate committee took notice and directed the Ministry of NHS to hold an inquiry.

The inquiry committee was chaired by ministry’s Joint Secretary Azra Jamali and comprised Deputy Secretary Sanaul Islam and Deputy Director Atya Aabroo.

According to the report, available with Dawn, Fida Hussain was working at the emergency accidental centre and on Sept 26 he demanded money from a female patient. After this, it was revealed that he was not an anemployee of the hospital.

He was handed over to the police. It was decided that both the doctors who had allegedly hired him would be kept under surveillance for three months.

According to the report, one of the PGs approached the police and introduced himself as son of a retired general and ambassador of Pakistan and demanded release of the fake doctor.

However, the Pims administration insisted on the registration of an FIR against the fake doctor.

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) was also informed about the incident as the PGs were students of the university’s MS programme.

The report said SZABMU Controller of Examinations Prof Tariq Iqbal informed the inquiry committee that he was also pressured by parents of the two doctors when he was carrying out an initial inquiry.

Moreover, one of the PGs was wrongly shifted to Pims from Sheikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute (SZPMI), Lahore. The PG was in the urology department at the SZPMI but joined the plastic surgery ward at Pims without appearing in an entry test or interview. He also allegedly produced a tampered no-objection certificate (NOC) to join Pims.

The committee recommended that legal action should be taken against the fake doctor. The university should expel both the PGs and disciplinary action should be initiated against the SZABMU registrar for giving admission to a PG on a forged NOC and without permission of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

The report claimed that during inquiry it was felt that the administration of the hospital/department was aware of the wrongdoings but did not take action as one of the PGs was son of a retired general and the other was son of a senior doctor of Pims.

The report recommended that biometric attendance may be made compulsory for all staff at Pims. The induction of all trainee doctors should be verified and the camera recording system be improved.

Senator Shaikh told Dawn: “The family of the female patient had given a statement to the police that the fake doctor misbehaved with her. But later they did not follow the case due to which the nature of the case was changed.”

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2019