Invoking jurisdiction of Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) an aggrieved family member sought stern action against Doctors Hospital and Medical Center Lahore on the grounds that petitioner’s young brother passed away due to malpractice, maladministration and medical negligence of the healthcare facility.
Petitioner, Hassan Ahmed who is elder brother of deceased Saqib Aleem advocate High Court said his brother was admitted at Doctors Hospital Lahore in June 26, 2023 and allotted M.R. No. 1107948. Hassan claimed that medical staff at the CCU/ICU, without proper assessment, care planning including planning of care, providing care, evaluating the patient’s response to care, or valid and informed consent, placed him on a ventilator and sedated him.
Petitioner further said that they were unable to wean him off the ventilator saying improper medical treatment during his consistent nearly 10 months stay.
Hassan Ahmed urged the Commission to declare the healthcare service providers at Doctors Hospital Lahore guilty of medical negligence in addition to imposing maximum fines on the administration, healthcare service providers, and staff of Doctors Hospital Lahore for medical negligence, maladministration, and malpractice, separately.
He also requested the Commission to refer the cases of the culpable individuals to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Pakistan Nursing Council. for the cancellation of the medical facility registrations and licenses.
Hassan Ahmed also urged the Commission to issue directives for reimbursement of actual costs incurred by the patient’s family, including hospital bills, pharmacy charges, and laboratory fees. He sought the Commission orders to Doctors Hospital Lahore and its healthcare providers to pay compensation for the physical and emotional damage suffered by the patient and his family during nearly ten months of hospitalization.
Seeking legal action against the Doctor Hospital Lahore, Hassan Ahmed requested the Commission to de-register the Hospital as a healthcare service provider besides suspending its license on the grounds that given the multiple instances of deaths caused by malpractice, maladministration, and medical negligence as noted by the Commission itself.
The petitioner pointed out inadequate record keeping and communication at the Hospital administration end saying after death of his brother, a request for complete medical records was initially denied and subsequently fulfilled only partially, lacking essential documents like doctor and nurse notes, and daily charts.
Expressing one of his grievances, the petitioner said, “Despite high room charges, my brother developed fourth-degree bed sores due to poor nursing care -Patient suffering persistent fever and infections due to inadequate room cleaning, poor hygiene protocols and disinfection”.
He further said that billing for laboratory tests and pharmacy items was unreasonably high compared to other reputable laboratories, adding prescribed medications which were not available in Pakistan and were procured at exorbitant (black) rates from the hospital’s pharmacy. He pointed out that there were delays in diagnostic reporting.
“I reserve the right to bring on record other instances of medical negligence, malpractice and maladministration during course of inquiry/investigation by the Commission” stated the petitioner.
Substantiating his claim, Hassan Ahmed annexed laboratory reports of Doctor Hospital Lahore saying few days after Eid-ul-Fitr in April 10, 2024, due to poor hygiene standards and inadequate dengue prevention protocols, Saqib contracted dengue virus in his private CCU/ICU room of Doctors Hospital. His platelets dropped drastically, and he ultimately passed away on April 24, 2024.
He further said, “Professor Sobia Qazi and other senior doctors administered high doses of antibiotics and antifungals without a proper diagnosis, leading to multiple cardiac arrests, lungs bleeding, and multi-organ failure. The exact reasons for these cardiac arrests were inconsistently explained, citing airway obstruction and cLack of Communication and Transparency: Multiple tests conducted in the hospital’s laboratory were neither communicated to the patient nor to his attendants”.
“Moreover, a surgery was performed without proper explanation and valid and informed consent, and it later transpired that junior staff were treating my brother, while billing was conducted under the name of Prof Amer Ikram, who was reportedly on annual leave and did not personally treat the patient complications during a bronchoscopy”, the petitioner added.
