Business Recorder
LAHORE: The Punjab Health Department has appointed two senior officers as inquiry officers to hear the cases of those responsible for the incidents at Lady Willingdon Hospital regarding the video recording of an operation and the security guard administering anesthesia to a patient. Secretary Local Government Shakeel Ahmed Mian has been appointed as inquiry officer to hear the show cause notices against those responsible for the incident of video recording of an operation at Lady Willingdon Hospital. Secretary Law and Parliamentary Affairs Asif Bilal Lodhi has been appointed as inquiry officer to hear the show cause notices against those responsible for the incident of security guard administering anesthesia to a patient at Lady Willingdon Hospital. Show cause notices have been issued to Prof Dr Uzma Hussain (BS-20), former Head of Department (HOD) Gynaecology, Dr Farah Inam (BS-19), former Medical Superintendent (MS), Dr Iqra Hafeez, former WMO, Iqra Zahid, former Charge Nurse (BS-16), Fawzia Rashid, former Charge Nurse (BS-16) and Haseeb-ur-Rauf, former Cook (BS-02) under Section 7(B) read with Section 5(1)(A) of the PEEDA Act, 2006. Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said such conduct is a serious violation of medical ethics, professional standards and the prescribed code of conduct, which undermines the dignity of the patient and reflects inappropriate behavior for public servants entrusted with sensitive healthcare responsibilities. The said act indicates serious corruption, incompetence and administrative failure which is tantamount to undermining public confidence in the healthcare system. Khawaja Salman Rafique said that according to the video, a security guard was allegedly allowed to illegally administer anesthesia to a patient inside the operation theatre. This act is a serious violation of hospital regulations, medical ethics and legal framework as administering anesthesia is a specialized medical procedure which is restricted to only qualified medical professionals. Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood said that after considering the facts of the case, action will be taken against each and every one of the responsible persons in the incidents under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act 2006. The said incident reflects gross negligence, lack of supervision, administrative failure and corruption, which put the life of the patient at risk and damaged the reputation of a government medical institution. The show cause notice stated that Professor Dr Uzma Hussain, as the head of the Gynaecology Department, failed to exercise effective supervision and administrative control over the affairs of her unit. Due to the negligence of Professor Dr Uzma Hussain, the unprofessional and unethical behaviour of the subordinate doctors could not be stopped in time, which led to the alleged incident of betting on the C-section procedure. The show cause notices state that Dr Farah Inam, as MS, was responsible for overall administration, discipline and implementation of hospital rules and regulations (SOPs) and failed to exercise proper supervision and administrative oversight, due to which the staff was found to be involved in inappropriate behaviour and betting during C-section. Dr Iqra Hafeez, Dr Iqra Zahid and Dr Fawzia Rasheed were found involved in the incident where the video showed them betting on the C-section procedure. This act of these doctors is a grave corruption, negligence and a clear violation of medical ethics. The responsibilities of Haseeb-ul-Rauf (Chef) as a cook were outside the operation theatre, but in the video he was found involved in unrelated activities inside the operation theatre. Show cause notices have been issued under Section 7(B) read with Section 5(1)(A) of the PEEDA Act, 2006 to Dr Munir Hussain (BS-19), former Senior Consultant Anaesthetist, Dr Farah Inam (BS-19), former Medical Superintendent (MS), Dr Rutaba Khalid (BS-18), former Senior Registrar Anaesthetist, Dr Munza Naheed (BS-18), former Senior Registrar Anaesthetist, Dr Dar-e-Shahwar Iram (BS-18), former Senior Woman Medical Officer/AMS (Admin) and Uzma Hassan (BS-17), former Head Nurse in the case of an incident where a security guard administered anaesthetic to a patient at Lady Willingdon Hospital. The show cause notice further states that Dr Munir Hussain, as the in-charge of the Anaesthesia Department, failed to ensure that only trained staff were deployed in the operation theatre, due to lack of supervision by Dr Munir Hussain. An unrelated security guard administered the injection to the patient and surprisingly the name of this security guard was also included in the duty roster which was approved by Dr Munir Hussain. Dr Farah Inam as MS was responsible for administration, discipline and implementation of hospital SOPs due to which the incident of administering anesthesia by the security guard occurred which shows serious administrative misconduct. Dr Rutaba Khalid failed to supervise the medical procedures and perform her duties in the operation theatre. Dr Rutaba Khalid committed serious professional misconduct by directing or allowing an unqualified person (security guard) to administer anesthesia and put the patient’s life at risk. Dr Munza Naheed as AMS Admin failed to supervise the activities of the operation theatre. Dr Munza Naheed signed the duty roster which allowed the security guard to administer anesthesia, even though Dr Munza Naheed knew that he was not qualified to do so. Dr Dar-e-Shehwar Iram violated the medical rules and regulations in the operation theatre. Failed to ensure compliance with the regulations, Dr Dar Shahwar Iram’s negligence gave way to an unrelated official to perform medical procedures, which is professional negligence and compromise of patient safety, Uzma Hassan failed to supervise the nursing staff and maintain control over the operation theatre, which allowed an unqualified person to administer anesthesia. The show cause notice states that there is concrete evidence in the form of video recording, therefore, a formal inquiry is not required on the directions of the Chief Minister of Punjab and direct action will be taken under Section 7 of the PEDA Act. Therefore, all the accused have been directed to submit a written reply within seven days so that the responsible parties can be punished under the PEEDA Act. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Go to News Site