Doctors not responsible for sanitary worker’s death in Umerkot, says health dept report

By
GEO NEWS
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KARACHI: The main accused in the case in which sewer cleaner Irfan Maseeh died due to alleged negligence of the doctors of Civil Hospital Umerkot has been exonerated of any responsibility by the Health department.

Masih was brought to the hospital early this month in a critical condition but Dr Yousuf refused to cover his sludge-covered body, saying “he would not touch Irfan's dirty body until it was cleaned.” the deceased's brother Pervaiz Maseeh had told Geo.tv.

Irfan had dived down to clean a manhole on June 1 when he fell unconscious after inhaling poisonous gases trapped inside, Pervaiz Maseeh had told Geo News.

Pervaiz said that one after another two more men jumped inside to save those trapped, but all fell unconscious due to the same reason.

Umerkot police had told Geo.tv on June 2 that the accused Dr Jaam Kunbhar has been arrested while raids were being conducted to arrest the other two doctors —Dr Yousuf and Dr Allah Dad Rathore— involved in the incident.

Irfan Maseeh's family alleges that the doctor's negligent response to the emergency situation and lack of facilities at the hospital left him to succumb to death.

The Health department, however, in its investigation report presented to higher authorities said that Masih had expired before he was brought to the hospital, sources told Geo News. The report instead held responsible the insufficient security measures employed by the municipality staff, in which one person was killed and three were severely injured.

The report did not find any of the doctors responsible for the incident and said that they fully attended to the injured in the incident.