LAHORE: The Services Hospital has strongly recommended the authorities, including the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), Islamabad, and the Punjab health department to penalise four members of the Young Doctors Association for multiple charges proved against them.

The hospital management has requested the PMC to suspend/cancel degrees of the doctors found guilty of misconduct.

The institute also addressed to the Punjab Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Department (SH&MED), the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, and the College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP), Karachi, to initiate action against them under the rules and regulations.

It is the first-ever such move by the top administration of the Services Hospital to involve top health authorities to get rid of a few medics who have been declared ‘a constant source of trouble.’

Writes to PMC, health dept, UHS, CPSP about their ‘hooliganism’

The action was proposed against them in the wake of the death of 30-year-old man due to ‘criminal negligence’ of the doctors on Jan 14 and the extreme act of shutting down emergency ward and attacking the office of the medical superintendent.

In the official letters, the institute provided some facts in details about the illegal activities of the doctors. A copy of the correspondence is also available with Dawn.

It also provided some evidence (including video clips and official slips) against them for allegedly misleading and dodging the hospital administration by manipulating hospital’s record to show young patient Hamid as ‘received dead’.

The institute management declared that Hamid walked to the emergency with a normal complaint, got admission slip at 5:52am. However, the doctors left him unattended for an hour or so which led to his death for want of treatment.

It said the medics later managed a new admission slip mentioning the admission time of the patient 6:43am and issued his death certificate declaring him ‘received dead’, a criminal act they committed.

The Services Hospital also declared the YDA Punjab office-bearers serving in the institute were ‘habitual violators’, saying they had been involved in subversive activities for the last many years and used to shut down emergency to disrupt patient care.

The management provided detailed profile of the medics with their service record in the institute, their activities, the act of misconduct proved against them and the habit of torturing the attendants and relatives of patients, bringing a bad name to the major government teaching hospital of Lahore.

“These doctors (office-bearers of the YDA Punjab) have been proved guilty of misconduct, inefficiency, involved in subversive activities and deserved to be handled with an iron hand,” Services Medical Superintendent Dr Ehteshamul Haq recommends.

He named Dr Salman Haseeb, Dr Mohammad Imran, Dr Salman Sarwar and Dr Mahmood ul Hassan as prime culprits, recommending imposition of major disciplinary action by the PMC and the Punjab health department.

About Dr Salman Haseeb, the MS said he was not on the payroll of the institute.

“Dr Salman is illegally promoting ‘gundaism’ in the hospital at the cost of the discipline,” reads the letter of the MS.

He proposed that his extension in the postgraduate training sent by the Services Hospital principal on Sept 17, 2021 may not be granted. “The short-term appointment of Dr Mohammad Imran for a period of three months may immediately be terminated and direct him to report to the SH&MED to face legal action”, the MS said.

He recommended immediate ban on the entry of the doctor in the Services Hospital as he was a constant source of causing unrest among the doctors on petty issues.

“Dr Imran may also be barred from getting future employment in the Punjab health department,” the letter says.

About Dr Salman Sarwar, the MS recommended that he may be directed to report to the SH&MED and requested the UHS for suspension of his training and termination of registration on account of actively participating in illegal activity.

“Dr Mahmoodul Hassan may be transferred from the Services Hospital,” he said and proposed an action against him under PEEDA Act 2006 for his involvement in subversive activities.

The MS further shared in the letter a brief overview of the illegal acts of the four doctors.

“As and when some issue arises in the Services Hospital these doctors start agitation, besieging the office of the MS,” Dr Ehtesham said.

On Jan 14, they again surrounded the MS office after the death of Hamid, shut down the accident & emergency, indoor, outdoor departments and other public health delivery sections of the hospital.

This is not the first act of these doctors, he said, it is their habit to exert pressure on all the departments [heads] including the MS office to get favourable decisions, he said.

In order to forestall such actions, strict action may be taken against the doctors, the MS said.

“In the light of the recommendations, the PMC Islamabad is requested by the undersigned for the suspension/cancellation of the degrees of these young doctors”, Dr Ehtesham said.

Similarly, he proposed to the UHS vice chancellor to cancel the registration of the degree of Dr Salman Sarwar saying he was involved in unethical practices which are against ethics of the medical profession.

“The aforesaid episode is sufficient to believe that action against delinquents/defaulters/accused officers is need of the hour and will surely set an example for others to discharge their duties with discipline and concentrate only on public service,” the MS said.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2022