GUJAR KHAN - The District Health Authority (DHA) Rawalpindi has suspended three medical officers assigned to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital (THQ) in Gujar Khan over misconduct after a baby died in mother’s womb before it could be delivered on Wednesday.
Local sources report that Mrs. Ayesha Ali was admitted to the gynae ward of THQ Hospital in Gujar Khan on September 16 for childbirth and her cesarean section was scheduled on Wednesday morning, but she was referred to a hospital in Rawalpindi by the onduty woman medical officer after the health of the baby deteriorated in the mother’s womb, despite the availability of an on-call gynaecologist and anaesthetist for delivery. The baby child was pronounced dead at a private hospital in Gujar Khan during a checkup on the woman prior to her transfer to a facility in Rawalpindi.
The incident report prepared by the Medical Superintendent of THQ Gujar Khan, Dr. Sarmad Kiyani, reveals that Dr. Jawaid Iqbal, an anaesthetist, and Dr. Hira Tanvir, a gynaecologist, were on-call but failed to report to the hospital for the operation.
The report further indicates that the patient was referred to a tertiary care hospital by woman medical officer, Dr. Sehar Iftikhar, following a “written” request from the patient’s attendants.
Dr. Arbab Niazi, the Chief Executive Officer of the District Health Authority (DHA), told The Nation that prompt measures were implemented in response to the “misconduct” of medical officers following the emergence of the issue on social media.
He asserted that no official application had been filed by the patient’s attendants regarding the incident, noting that the DHA was conducting its own investigation into the matter. The Chief Executive Officer Niazi announced that Dr. Jawaid Iqbal, an anaesthetist, Dr. Hira Tanvir, a gynaecologist, and Dr. Sehar Iftikhar, a WMO, have been relieved of their duties at THQ Gujar Khan and placed under suspension pending the conclusion of an inquiry/ legal proceedings by the authorities. Dr. Arbab Niazi said that a three-member inquiry committee tasked with investigating the incident had been constituted and would initiate its proceedings on 19 September (today), and submit its report to the DHA within 24 hours.
In response to the incident, Shaukat Aziz Bhatti, the MPA from Gujar Khan, has called for accountability, urging that the medical staff involved be held responsible for their negligence.