Inquiry finds Dr Furqan's death result of Karachi Civil Hospital doctor's 'misjudgment'.

Byline: Qazi Hassan

A special committee formed by the Sindh government to probe the death of Dr Furqanul Haq - who became the third member of the medical fraternity in Karachi to have died from the coronavirus - concluded in its report that "misjudgment" on part of the medical officer at Civil Hospital was the cause of his death.

After he passed away on Sunday, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Secretary General Dr Qaiser Sajjad had alleged Dr Haq needed to be put on a ventilator but could not find the facility despite visiting several hospitals in the city.

Following these claims, on Monday night, Sindh Government Spokesperson Senator Murtaza Wahab announced a committee had been formed to investigate the matter and produce a report "within 24 hours".

According to the committee's report, issued on Wednesday morning, the on-duty doctor at Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) who examined the patient showed negligence when he failed to admit him to the hospital despite availability of at least nine ICU beds.

However, the report also states that the patient was reluctant to be admitted to any hospital.

Recounting the events that led to Dr Haq's death, the report says he was diagnosed with the virus on May 1, after which the Sindh Health Department through a rapid response team was in contact with the patient until May 2.

On May 3, the doctor's condition worsened and he was advised to go to Indus Hospital by his niece, Dr Nida. However, foregoing this advice, Dr Haq planned a visit to Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) instead, on the advice of his colleague Dr Amir.

However, when an Aman ambulance arrived, it took Dr Haq to CHK, rather than SIUT. At CHK, Dr Haq was transferred by the emergency staff to the coronavirus control room, where he was examined by Dr Jagdesh, the medical officer on duty.

"Instead of...