Woman in Lahore dies from cold after hospital fails to provide bed

Pictured is a female attendant of the ill-fated patient who passed away on Monday

LAHORE: An elderly woman apparently died from cold in Lahore's Jinnah Hospital on Monday while she was being treated on the floor due to non-availability of beds.

Zahra Bibi, 60, a resident of Kasur suffering from a kidney disease, wasn’t provided a bed in the hospital. The patient was then offered to be treated on the floor instead, and was injected with a drip to start medication, sources told Geo News.

The ill-fated woman was struck with high fever due to cold, which proved to be fatal.

Her relatives told that Zahra had kidney and heart problems. "We first took her to Services Hospital, then to PIC, wherefrom she was referred to Jinnah Hospital," they said.

After not being provided a bed at Jinnah Hospital, they said, they were forced to get the woman treated on the floor.

The government, as usual, constituted a committee to probe the death.

Geo News has learnt that there still are several patients lying on the floor of hospital, awaiting treatment.

Hospital authorities say they are helpless as the number of patients is more than the beds available and they have no option but to accommodate multiple patients on each bed.

They, however, contradicted that Zahra was asked to go outside.

Adviser to Punjab CM on Health Salman Rafique admitted that the woman was made to lie on chilly floor as there was no room in hospital's ward. He said Zahra Bibi was given medical aid in hospital's emergency and the matter was being probed.

"Action will be taken against those responsible for the death once the inquiry report is received," Rafique said.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Mehmoodur Rasheed also arrived at the hospital, wherein he strongly condemned the incident.

Geo News also noticed several vacant beds inside Medical Unit 1 - where Zahra died - but the patients are forced to stay on the floor.