The President upheld a fine of Rs 900,000 on the hospital
By our correspondent
Islamabad
According to the sources of Daily Notable, President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday directed the Islamabad Health Regulatory Authority (IHRA) to issue directions to Shifa International Hospital Islamabad (SHIFA) to refund Rs 2.9 million to the daughter of a patient who died. due to medical negligence, professional misconduct and negligence of the hospital’s doctors.
The President also confirmed the imposition of a fine of Rs 900,000 on SHIFA as the hospital was found to have committed malpractices and medical negligence, the Press Wing Secretariat of the President said in a press release on Saturday.
The President issued these directions and rejected the submissions of IHRA against the orders of Wafaqi Mohtasib (WM) in which Mohtasib ruled that the complainant (deceased patient’s daughter) was discriminated against in a similar case in the past, IHRA. not only fined SHIFA but also directed the hospital to refund the amount in lieu of medical bills. He ordered that the refund be paid within a week to the complainant.
While rejecting the IHRA’s representation, the President noted that the IHRA had investigated the complaints, found medical negligence and imposed a fine of Rs. 900,000 to SHIFA which was also received by IHRA and thus the medical facility was found to be medically negligent.
He further stated that the IHRA did not direct the hospital to pay the actual amount of the medical bill incurred during the treatment of the complainant’s mother as per the orders of learned Wafaqi Mohtasib; while in another case, specifically Dr. Iqtidar Mehmood Dara Vs. Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, IHRA ruled that “the medical bill should be reimbursed to the complainant by SHIFA International Hospital”.
The President stated that it is an established principle that persons of similar standing should be treated equally and that equal treatment of all is the hallmark of our Constitution, i.e. Articles 4 and 25.
He stated that the object and purpose of the Act will be fulfilled only if relief is provided to the complainant for any negligence on the part of the hospital. “The agency had to be more vigilant and attentive to fulfill its responsibilities,” he added.
[The Resident further noted that the main purpose of establishing the Islamabad Health Care Regulatory Authority was “…to provide a regulatory framework to ensure the provision of quality health care services by establishing quality standards by the health sector to the residents of the Islamabad Capital Territory. “.
He noted that the IHRA is responsible for “exercising any powers and performing any functions that may be necessary to carry out the purposes of its Act at the direction of the Federal Government”, and as malpractice and negligence had been found and not challenged by SHIFA, the orders were correct accepted and the representation deserved to be rejected.
Regarding the details, M. Farrukh Naeem Tahir (complainant) alleged that her mother was diagnosed with COVID-19 who died due to negligence of SHIFA doctors and filed a complaint with IHRA against the hospital and IHRA imposed a fine of Rs 900,000/- hospital for committing negligence but did not ask the hospital to refund the medical bill of Rs. 2,979,637/- as per the order of Wafaqi Mohtasib.
She then filed a petition for review, asking to reopen the case and reconsider its earlier decision, instructing the IHRA to issue instructions to the hospital to reimburse the medical bill.
Mohtasib passed orders in her favor which were challenged by the IHRA by filing an affidavit with the President. – PUNA
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