Replied by(Noman) Replied on (23/Sep/2006)

Doctors at Jinnah Hospital closed the emergency ward, blocked the road in front of the hospital and staged a protest against the beating up of a lady doctor by members of the Nakai family, o
Nakai gunmen brutalise Jinnah Hospital lady doc
* Dr Fatima dragged by her hair, slammed into ward walls, smashed into bathroom sink
* Parvez Nakai first denies, then relents
* Says attackers will be given to police today

By Shahnawaz Khan and Nauman Tasleem

LAHORE: Doctors at Jinnah Hospital closed the emergency ward, blocked the road in front of the hospital and staged a protest against the beating up of a lady doctor by members of the Nakai family, on Thursday. The doctor’s attackers escaped and her colleagues applied to the police for registration of a case.

Doctor Umar, Doctor Asif and Doctor Khalil - house officers at Jinnah Hospital - said that Allah Rakha, a relative of Sardar Parvez Nakai, was admitted to Medical Unit II for the last two days with a brain haemorrhage. They said that Rakha was brought to Jinnah on Tuesday but died on Thursday afternoon during medical treatment. Doctors said Rakha’s relatives had signed a document absolving the doctors of responsibility if Rakha died - reportedly a common practice – because he was in serious condition.

The doctors said that on Thursday afternoon when Rakha died, one of his relatives Ijaz alias Jajji began slapping Doctor Fatima Noor who was treating Rakha, accusing her of killing him. Doctor Fatima hid under a bed, when one of the 15 armed men with Jajji allegedly pulled her out by her hair and dragged her through the ward, banging her head on the walls all the while. Doctor Fatima managed to free herself, ran and locked herself in a bathroom, but the gunmen broke the door down and before dragging her out, smashed her face into the sink and tore at her clothes, doctors Umar, Asif and Khalil said.

When other doctors and hospital staff recovered from their shock and came to her aid, the attackers fled from the scene, leaving Rakha’s body in the hospital.

Doctors said that later, the deceased’s family including Sardar Parvez Nakai contacted the hospital administration to take Rakha’s body, but doctors refused to let them have it and demanded that the men who beat Dr Fatima be produced. Nakai denied that any such incident had taken place, but when doctors showed him a video of the crime made by doctor’s cell phone, Nakai relented and assured doctors he would present the attackers to the Johar Town police this morning, to which doctors replied that Nakai would get Rakha’s body once he fulfilled his commitment.

Subsequently, doctors, students and hospital staff at Allama Iqbal Medical College closed the emergency ward and hospital gates, came out onto the road and demonstrated vehemently against the incident at about 5:55 pm. The protestors blocked the road and did not allow anyone to enter or exit the hospital, although the hospital administration immediately called doctors from other hospitals to fill in.

The three doctors said that a police superintendent reached the hospital with four van-loads of policemen and tried to negotiate with the non-violent protestors, but returned half an hour later after failing to make them stand down. At about 10:20pm, the doctors opened the emergency and resumed work. The doctors said that Parvez Nakai signed a paper stating that he would present the attackers on Friday morning. Two of them have already been arrested by Johar Town police.