Murad suspends MS, civil surgeon of Mirpurkhas hospital for refusing ambulance service

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, expressing profound grief and sorrow over the Mirpurkhas incident, has placed the services of Medical Superintendent and Civil Surgeon/Transport In-charge under suspension.The two suspended individuals had allegedly refused ambulance service to a man, Ramesh Bheel for transporting body of his son, earlier on Saturday.Ramesh Bheel had admitted his two-year-old son, Chetan in Civil Hospital Mirpurkhas for treatment. The child could not survive and Ramesh requested the hospital administration for an ambulance to transport his son to his native village. The hospital administration had allegedly refused to give him ambulance free of cost after which Ramesh and his brother Kewal decided to transport the body of the child to their native village Asghar Dars, during which they both passed away after a speeding mini-truck hit them on Mirpurkhas-Sindhri Road.The chief minister took serious notice of the incident and immediately ordered Secretary Health to conduct inquiry into the matter. The inquiry has been constituted which would start its work on Monday.The chief minister again directed Secretary Health Saeed Awan to suspend the services of Medical Superintendent Dr Mohammad Aslam and Civil Surgeon/In-charge Administration Dr Khalil Memon before start of the inquiry after which the suspension orders were issued today. The chief minister has directed Secretary Health to provide him hospital-wise ambulance service details, including on road, off road, facilities available in the ambulance and the mechanism to provide the service to inhabitants in the area. “This is a serious incident and cannot be ruled out,” he said and added he was working hard to provide the best health facilities to the people but some individuals in the hospital administration were spoiling his efforts by denying services. The chief minister has directed the health department to submit a detailed inquiry report with its recommendation of the action against the involved officials.