SUKKUR: A pregnant woman who was brought in serious
condition to Sukkur Civil Hospital on Wednesday died without getting
medical help since no doctor attended her during the ongoing strike of
healthcare officials and paramedics.
The relatives of
late Roz Khatoon who had come from Said Mohammad Shah Bharo village near
Ghouspur protested at the hospital and said that doctors in Ghouspur
had advised them to immediately shift her to Sukkur for caesarean
surgery but when they reached the hospital they were asked to go back.
No doctor was ready to attend to her and they let her and her baby die, they claimed.
They
demanded provincial health minister and other higher authorities
concerned take action against the striking doctors for denying a dying
patient medical help.
The doctors and paramedics of
Government Anwar Piracha Hospital and Civil Hospital had been on strike
for the past five days in protest against brief arrest of Anwar Piracha
Hospital medical superintendent Dr Iqbal Ahmed Siddiqui at the behest of
Sukkur Deputy Commissioner Raheem Bux Maitlo.
The
striking doctors led by Dr Shahid Mirani, Dr Rafiq Memon, Dr Iqbal Ahmed
Siddiqui and others took out a rally from Government Anwar Piracha
Hospital and marched to the press club where they held a sit-in.
They
announced that their colleagues in private hospitals would also join
the protest from Thursday. They said that Sukkur deputy commissioner
used foul language against MS Dr Siddiqui and had him hauled off to
SSP’s office where a fake FIR was also lodged against him.
They
demanded immediate transfer of the DC and said their protest would
continue till the officer was transferred or he tendered unconditional
written apology.
The DC told journalists that doctors’ strike was completely unjustified as it was causing great inconvenience to poor patients.
