Lawyers Attack Punjab Institute Of Cardiology

(@fidahassanain)

Lawyers attack Punjab Institute of Cardiology

The lawyers broke the main entrance gate, disrupted several ongoing operations of serious cardiac patients and left hundreds of other patients helpless at Punjab Institute of Cardiology---the only state of the art hospital for cardiac patients in Lahore.

LAHORE: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Dec 11th, 2019) A woman patient died after hundreds of lawyers attacked Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC)—the only state of the art hospital in Punjab for cardiac patients here on Wednesday.

The lawyers broke the main entrance gate of the hospital, entered into the emergency wards, went inside the operation theatres where they disrupted operations of serious cardiac patients. A woman patient lost her life who was identified as Gulshan bibi. The lawyers ransacked the windows of the hospital, broke the mirrors of cars parked there inside the premises of the hospital, shouted at the hospital administration and threw stones at the office of the Medical Superintendent of the hospital.

The doctors, nurses other paramedical staff left the operation theaters, emergency corridors and hit inside the small rooms of the hospital to save their lives from the protesting lawyers. The patients, especially those who came to the PIC from far flung areas of the province left unattended and helpless due to lawyers’ attack.

Cardiac patients –who need extra care due to sensitivity of their disease, faced huge trouble at Punjab Institute of Cardiology due to protest of the lawyers. The lawyers disrupted operations of the whole hospital, stopped heart operation being conducted there at the emergency ward of the hospital. The lawyers threw stones directly at the windows of the emergency wards, ransacked the windows of vehicles parked there.

Heavy police contingents and riot police reached there to bar the lawyers but the lawyers did not care about them, broke the main gate and the inside gate of the hospital. In order to control the lawyers, the riot police used tear gas on the spot but the lawyers continued throwing stones at the hospital. The smell of the tear gas in surrounding of the hospital also caused huge trouble for the cardiac patients. The medical superintendent and other staff locked their rooms and left the hospital.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the lawyers’ attack and made it clear that strict action would be taken against the responsible. He said it was totally unacceptable as the lawyers took the law into their hands.

“The strict action would be taken against the lawyers who attacked Punjab Institute of Cardiology,” said Punjab CM.

Police shelling caused trouble for the patients who fell unconscious in and outside the cardiac hospital. The sources said that dozens of patients were in critical conditions.

Fida Hussnain

Fida Hussnain is a lahore based journalist. He writes on politics, religion, social issues and climate change. He is also a research fellow at University of Gujrat.