LAHORE – A group of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters flocked to Sheikhpura DHQ Hospital and beat up three surgeons, and destroyed equipment after their patient succumbed to injuries received during a motorbike accident.
An outraged social media user named Laila Babar lashed out at the workers of the political party in Facebook post for their unethical and inhuman behaviour showed at the large tertiary care hospital in one of Punjab’s largest districts that serves around more than a million people and is run with charity funds.
She stated that an injured person who had “laceration in his neck and had hit his head very hard,” was brought to the hospital but died. The emotional attendants broke into the operation theater and started beating up three poor, tired and overworked doctors and nurses on duty.
She added that one of these doctors has a blue eye, another has a suspected broken rib, while a third one received bruises all over his arms and back.
Highlighting the plight of doctors, she wrote: “These people work for 500 dollars a month, to give up their days and nights, to work in a remote area, in an under equipped poorly staffed hospital, so that people have someone to take care of them.”
After beating the staff, the mob proceeded to destroy the bipap machine, dialysis machine, and ECG machines worth Rs 900,000 with cricket bats.
She added this is not a government-funded hospital adding that these machines are the fruit of donations given by these very doctors beaten by the people.
She revealed that this particular incident was even more harrowing because it happened in the presence of the DSP police and the district commissioner of Sheikhupura who were unable to take action due to their links with a leader of PML-N.
She concluded that Pakistan will stay embroiled in violence as long as Pakistanis consider beating up people their right.
“The doctors refused to strike because a strike would mean that the one million people who use this hospital as their only hope will suffer. Such is their sacrifice and commitment.”
