Civil Hospital doctor refused to admit Dr Furqan despite his worsening condition, says inquiry panel

Holding a medical officer on duty at Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) responsible for the death of Dr Furqan-ul-Haq, a COVID-19 patient who passed away on Sunday after he was allegedly denied treatment at hospitals, an inquiry committee of the Sindh government recommended disciplinary action against Dr Jagdesh Kumar who refused to admit the patient to the CHK.

“Dr Jagdesh Kumar at the COVID-19 Control Room at CHK examined Dr Furqan-ul-Haq and despite knowing the pulse oximetry of patient showed 94 per cent saturation on 5 litres of oxygen, he refused to admit the patient and advised him to contact the person who had promised of arranging a bed at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation [SIUT],” read the inquiry report that was presented to the Sindh government on Wednesday.

The inquiry committee comprised Health Special Secretary Fayyaz Hussain Abbassi, Dow Medical College Principal Dr Amjad Siraj Memon and Dr Sikandar Memon. It was constituted to inquire into the death of Dr Haq, a retired doctor who had quarantined himself at his residence after he had tested positive for COVID-19 but when his condition worsened, he went to the CHK where the doctor on duty refused to admit him.

The inquiry committee interviewed CHK Medical Superintendent Dr Khadim Hussain, Dr Azizullah Khan Dhiloo, an infectious diseases specialist at the CHK, and others and found that Dr Kumar, a consultant physician at the CHK should have admitted Dr Haq in spite of the fact that he wanted to go somewhere else as his condition was serious and there were at least nine ventilators being not in use at the hospital at that time.

When Dr Haq reached the CHK’s COVID-19 control room, he was in not in a position to go to the Ojha campus of the Dow University or any other facility, the inquiry committee reported and added that it was an act of misjudgment on the part of Dr Kumar, which resulted in the loss of a person’s life.

“The committee recommends that disciplinary proceedings should be initiated against Dr Jagdesh in accordance with relevant laws,” the committee recommended and added that even the ambulance driver of the Aman Foundation had taken him to the CHK instead of SIUT where Dr Haq had asked another doctor to arrange a bed for him.

The committee also stated that Dr Haq was himself reluctant to visit any hospital and get himself admitted to any health facility for the treatment of his condition, although he had a history of myocardial infarction and uncontrolled diabetes.

People from all walks of life had expressed grief and concern over the unfortunate death of Dr Haq after some initial reports, which cited his wife, claimed that he was denied treatment at various hospitals of the city.