Hit-and-run accident: Pims chief resigns in ‘protest’

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Executive Director Dr Ghazala Mehmood resigned on Wednesday after the city police booked her along with her driver in a hit-and-run accident that injured three of the nursing students protesting for a raise in stipend at the hospital building.

In a complaint to the Margalla police, Sidra Shah, one of the victims, alleged that the car of Dr Ghazala hit her along with two other students of School of Nursing (Pims) after which her driver drove her away.

She also alleged that doctors at the hospital denied them any medical treatment on the directives of the executive director. The condition of one of the student nurses is critical, she further stated. The injured students were taken to Polyclinic for treatment seven hours after the incident. The police registered a case and started investigation. The preliminary investigation suggested that the ED had misbehaved and abused the protesting students seeking release of their stipends and an increase from Rs2,700 to Rs6,800.

“When the ED entered the building we tried to approach her. However, she asked her driver to speed the official Toyota Corolla away. As a result, three students were hit by the vehicle and suffered multiple injuries,” said one of the students.

The police said preliminary investigation suggested that the incident took place when the driver acted on the instruction of the ED. Efforts are in progress to arrest the driver while the doctor will also be questioned about her alleged involvement in the incident, the police added.

Sources close to Dr Ghazala quoted her as claiming that she was tendering resignation as a ‘protest’. Later, the health ministry appointed Prof Mehmood Jamal of Children Hospital as the new chief of the hospital.

Soon after the incident early in the morning, nurses and other paramedical staff of the hospital also joined the strike of student nurses.

The protesters later staged a sit-in in front of Parliament House demanding sacking of the executive director. Attempts by officials of the health ministry to negotiate with them were resisted by the protestors.

“Till yesterday, the protest was merely an agitation seeking payment of stipends to the students but now it has become a matter of our protection at workplace and we will not compromise on this,” said one of the senior nurses.

“Misbehavior of doctors is something we face daily but what happened today was a criminal attempt and we want immediate action against the responsible,” she added.

Joint Secretary (administration) of the ministry of health Sher Ayub Khan told representatives of the protestors that the stipends of the students would be released immediately followed by an increase in the amount. He also assured them that facilities in the hostel for student nurses would also be upgraded.