MULTAN: Nishtar Hospital has terminated an additional house officer after a video showing him making an offensive gesture towards a patient’s relatives circulated widely on social media, hospital officials confirmed on Monday.
The incident occurred in the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department, where attendants of a critically ill patient accused doctors of refusing to arrange a blood transfusion before the woman died. The viral footage shows a heated exchange inside the emergency area, after which the doctor raises his hand and makes an obscene gesture while walking away, as a crowd gathers nearby.
Hospital authorities identified the doctor as Qasim Jamal and said he was initially suspended from duty on December 19, a day after the incident. Following a preliminary review, the hospital administration issued a notification later the same day terminating his services with immediate effect for misconduct and violation of professional ethics.
An inquiry committee has also been formed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and the events leading up to the patient’s death.
According to an incident report submitted by the director of the Accident and Emergency Department on December 20, the patient was brought to the hospital in an extremely critical condition. The report stated that emergency treatment was initiated and preparations were under way to shift her for blood transfusion when her condition deteriorated rapidly.
Doctors attempted to stabilise and resuscitate the patient, but her condition worsened to a stage where transfusion was no longer medically possible, the report said. The patient was later pronounced dead, after which her attendants became agitated.
The report noted that some attendants misbehaved with doctors and on-duty staff, leading to a tense situation in the emergency ward. It added that the doctor later responded inappropriately by making an offensive gesture towards the attendants.
In a written statement issued a day after the incident, the doctor defended his actions, describing his response as a form of protest against what he termed repeated harassment by the patient’s family. He said the patient had been under active treatment and that resuscitation efforts were made before she was declared dead.
He further claimed that a large number of people entered the restricted emergency area due to a lack of security enforcement, alleging that attendants shouted, threatened and attempted to physically assault medical staff while recording videos.
The doctor acknowledged that he was under severe stress at the time but denied using abusive language or resorting to physical violence. He argued that his suspension and subsequent termination were carried out without a complete investigation and appealed for reinstatement to allow him to complete his training.
Hospital authorities, however, said disciplinary action was taken in line with institutional rules, stressing that maintaining professional conduct in emergency settings was mandatory regardless of circumstances.
The inquiry committee is expected to submit its findings in the coming days.
