• Home
• /
• Opinion

Healthcare or Health Hazard?

Junaid, my neighbour’s five-year-old son, passed away on November 10 following a complex brain tumour surgery.

I haven’t had the heart to jot down the experience and relive the news of his death which took us all by shock. Somewhere in my heart, I had hoped that he would recover and come back to ring my door bell again and yet again as he used to. But I know now that he is never coming back.

Some part of me is eager to blame his death on the infamous Doctor’s Hospital in Lahore, Pakistanthat is currently mired in controversy and fighting lawsuits for two cases that have caught the international media attention. Junaid too was being treated at the same hospital before hedied due topost operative complications. Former Pakistani cricket captain Waseem Akram has sued the hospital and its doctors for not being able to detect his wife’s serious stomach ailment that finally took her life last month. Following his complaint, licences of 17 doctors were suspended for gross medical negligence.

An even more heart-wrenching case is that of a three-year-old girl Imanae Malik who succumbed to similar negligence by people to whom we blindly entrust our lives. The little angel was taken to the hospital to treat her for minor burns but was injected with a lethal overdose of anaesthesia that claimed her life.

Imanae’s father has launched a war against the hospital on Facebook which he promises to end only after the culprits have been brought to justice. Thousands have shown support by attending candle-light vigils in Imanae’s memory. An inquiry also has already been set up to look into the case, which Pakistanis hope may bring about stricter laws against medical negligence and incompetent doctors.

Following the emergence of these two high profile cases, hundreds of people affected by the hospital have come forward with their own experiences. These incidents make me wonder if Junaid too was an unsuspecting victim of greedy money mongers and people who are a disgrace to their profession. Junaid recovered after his surgery briefly and doctors said he was on the path to recovery when he lost consciousness and remained so for about two weeks later, says his mother. How can a child who is recovering develop sudden complications, she wonders aloud even though she does not want to hear the answer.

There must have been negligence in the post operative care. I saw all staff in the ICU making fun of Wasim Akram when he showed concern for his wife’s condition so why would they care about my child,she reasons as she tries to console herself. For them, death is routine, says Junaid’s grandmother, adding that they have forgotten they too have to die one day. Since these cases have come to light,discussions on how low healthcare standards at exorbitant prices are affecting the general public has been the topic of intense discussions that we Pakistanis love to engage in. Generally, such discussions lead to no action. In these high profile cases, it is yet to be seen what action the government will take against the culprits.

But what words or actions can console parents who have lost their child? Or hundreds of others who have lost their loved ones due to negligence of healthcare professionals but have never had the courage to speak up? Junaid’s mother knocks herself out with tranquilisers every day in an attempt to block out visions of her darling drawing his last breath, while the father’s sighs can melt even the toughest 
of the hearts.

Asma Ali Zain is a Staff Reporter of 
Khaleej Times. She can be reached at 
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com