Three reports, appearing one after another in the media regarding the death of patients caused by some doctors' negligence brings under focus the sad state of affairs prevailing in government and private hospitals. The relatives of MNA Faiz Mohammad Khan, who died in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), claimed that his life could have been saved if doctors had not been negligent and a ventilator had been made available to the patient.
Wasim Akram has complained that poor facilities and highly negligence at two well-known hospitals in Lahore led to his wife's death, a fact subsequently confirmed by a health ministry committee. Parents of three-year-old Imanae, who also died allegedly due to the negligence of doctors at a private hospital in Lahore, have urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Punjab chief minister to help bring the culprits to justice.
The child was taken to an expensive private hospital for treatment of a minor hot water burn on her hand, where she was administered treatment or drugs reportedly not meant for children. In the three cases referred to above, the deaths took place in a top government hospital and two private hospitals, which treat the elite.
Here one expects to find highly-qualified doctors, experienced and dedicated medical assistants and the state-of-the-art equipment. With such a high-level of neglect being reported in the prime medical facilities, one can very well imagine the plight of patients requesting hospitals meant for the general public. Again, the issue has come to the limelight because an MNA was involved in one case, while in another, it was the wife of a celebrity.
In the third case, the affected family, which had come from Britain to celebrate Eid, was highly conscious of their rights and had the will and resources to raise the issue in the public interest. At least nine such cases have been reported in the press since September, from all over the country.
Many more have gone unreported because of the cover up on the part of the hospitals, where the mortality rate is reportedly very high, the fatalistic outlook of the victims' families who accepted the tragedy as God's will or who did not know the right forum where they could ventilate their grievances. The unnecessary deaths were caused by a number of factors. The MNA avowedly died because of negligence and the shortage of the required equipment.
His relatives have alleged that he was not taken straight to the ICU and the much-needed ventilator was not made available. The committee appointed by the Prime Minister to investigate the reasons and circumstances behind Huma Wasim's death maintained there was negligence on the part of doctors, combined with poor medical facilities. In Imanae's case, the doctor responsible was found to be unqualified for the work he was assigned.
On Thursday, National Assembly's Standing Committee on Health announced action against those hospitals and erring doctors. The government was asked to take action against the PIMS' executive director. Seventeen doctors, blamed for the death of Huma Wasim, were suspended from their duties while their practising licences were cancelled. Earlier, while discussing the circumstances that led to Imanae's death, the committee gave a 10-day deadline to the hospital to improve its protocols.
The measures would definitely send a message to the hospitals and medical practitioners to put their act together. What is needed, however, to deal with the problem over a long period is an overall review of the health policy? While medical colleges in Pakistan provide a fairly good professional education and practical training, the curriculum has miserably failed to inculcate medical ethics among the students. The Hippocratic oath that enjoins on every physician to uphold professional ethical standards is altogether forgotten.
Many doctors in the public-sector hospitals who have been allowed to run private practice also are not paying attention to their patients in the government-run hospitals. Those administrating private hospitals frequently compromise on standards as most of them are known as 'traders out to make a fast buck'.
These problems can best be addressed at the national level, within the parameters of a health policy. The health policy should focus on improving the quality of services, facilities and motivation of the professionals at the government hospitals. Similarly, it should also prescribe a minimum body of regulations to ensure that standards are maintained by private hospitals.