Nishtar hospital scandal: 3 doctors, 2 SHOs suspended over ‘negligence’

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Monday ordered the suspension of three doctors of Nishtar Hospital and two station house officers (SHOs) over their alleged negligence in the matter pertaining to dumping of dead bodies on the health facility’s rooftop, ARY News reported on Monday.  

According to a statement issued by Punjab CM office, an initial inquiry report was presented to Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and he was briefed on the matter during a meeting earlier in the day.

Former federal minister Moonis Elahi, Inspector-General of police (IGP), ACS (Home), Special Secretary Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department and others were present in the meeting.

“In light of the initial inquiry report, CM Pervaiz Elahi took strict action and suspended three doctors, as many employees of Multan’s Nishtar Hospital and two station house officers (SHOs) over negligence,” read the statement.

On his direction, the head of the anatomy department at Nishtar Medical University Prof Dr Maryam Ashraf, and doctors Dr Abdul Wahab and Dr Seerat Abbas have been suspended and removed from their posts.

He also ordered the suspension of three other employees of Nishtar Hospital, namely Ghulam Abbas, Muhammad Sajjad Nasir and Abdur Rauf. Meanwhile, Umar Farooq SHO PS Shah Rukn-e-Aalam Colony and Saeed Sial SHO PS Seetal Mari were also suspended.

The statement further stated that the CM Punjab ordered action under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act, 2006 against those responsible for the “negligence”.

“An inhuman act has been committed by throwing dead bodies on the rooftop and disrespect to corpses is intolerable,” CM Pervaiz Elahi said. He condemned the incident and noted that in Islam, directives had been laid out for disposing of bodies.

On October 13, the Punjab Chief Minister’s (CM) Adviser Chaudhry Zaman Gujjar spotted unclaimed bodies left abandoned on the roof of Nishtar Hospital in Multan.

READ: PUNJAB CM TAKES NOTICE OF NISHTAR HOSPITAL BODIES SCANDAL

The distressing videos of the abandoned bodies on the roof of the Nishtar Hospital – a teaching hospital of Nishtar Medical University – have also surfaced.

The videos showed the horrors of Nishtar Hospital’s dead house packed with rotten bodies. In the videos and pictures, some bodies were thrown on the floor and old wooden cot.

Following the discovery of unclaimed bodies, the hospital administration swung into action and launched an inquiry.