Doctor's death.

THE death of senior medical practitioner Dr Furqanul Haq in Karachi a few days ago has raised serious questions about the state of preparedness of the health system in Sindh, and its ability to handle patients in case of medical emergencies on a mass scale. Of particular concern was the claim made by an office-bearer of the Pakistan Medical Association that no ventilator was available at any of the hospitals the medic was taken to. Some of these questions appear to have been answered by a special inquiry committee tasked by the Sindh government to look into the incident.

The committee released its report on Wednesday. However, the findings have raised some new concerns, which the authorities in the province would do well to address. According to the inquiry committee, 'misjudgement' on part of a medical officer at Karachi's Civil Hospital was the cause of Dr Furqan's death, as the doctor on duty showed 'negligence' in not admitting the patient to the facility when beds were available in the ICU. Sindh government officials had already said there was no shortage of ventilators in...