The hospital’s Board of Directors forms two investigative commissions, in charge of presenting reports in three days
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi. Photo: Archive
Orders issued by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi regarding disciplinary action against senior officials of Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital have reportedly not been implemented. Instead, the hospital’s board of directors has constituted two separate investigation committees to examine the matter.
According to official sources, the Board of Governors (BoG) formed committees to investigate the allegations against the hospital director and the head of the Pediatric Emergency Service. Both the committees have been tasked with submitting their reports within three days, after which a decision will be taken on further action against the officials.
This development follows a late-night visit by the Prime Minister to the LRH Pediatric Emergency on the night of December 15 and 16, sparked by a video circulating on social media showing a complaint about a newborn being denied medical treatment. During the visit, patients and their attendants allegedly made numerous complaints about poor facilities, poor management and staff behaviour.
The Prime Minister also inspected other sections of the hospital and interacted with patients and their families. Expressing serious displeasure over poor cleanliness, disorder, poor patient care, staff attitude and violations of standard operating procedures (SOPs), he ordered the dismissal of the hospital director and the suspension of the Pediatric Emergency chief.
A formal letter conveying these orders was subsequently sent to the BoG. The letter expressed grave concern about the situation at LRH, which is the largest tertiary care hospital in the province and receives an annual government subsidy of around Rp8 billion. He stressed that the hospital has the fundamental responsibility of providing quality medical care, particularly to emergency cases and newborns.
The letter also described poor health standards and weak administrative performance as a grave embarrassment not only to the institution but also to the provincial government, and called for a compliance report on the implementation of the premier’s orders.
However, instead of immediately implementing the directives, the BoG decided to launch investigations. Sources said a two-member committee has been constituted to investigate the matter related to the hospital director, comprising the Finance Director as chairman and the Human Resources Director as a member.
A separate three-member committee has been formed to investigate the Pediatric Emergency Department, with the Head of the Department of Medicine, Dr. Atta, as the chairman, along with the Chairman of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Dr. Shahzadi Salma, and Assistant Professor of Radiology, Dr. Imran Khan, as members. The committee investigating the Pediatric Emergency has been tasked with identifying gaps in patient admissions, procedures, patient load management and treatment provision, and presenting recommendations in its report.
Insiders claim that the BoG chairman has stopped the dismissal of the hospital director and efforts are reportedly being made to acquit the director arguing that he was not directly involved in the situation at the Pediatric Emergency. Sources warn that the divergence between the Prime Minister’s orders and the BoG’s decision could trigger a fresh controversy.
