The Express Tribune

An Islamabad sessions court has issued arrest warrants for a rheumatologist after he failed to appear before a court to respond to a consumer complaint against him and other doctors from the same hospital.Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhary issued warrants for Dr Aasim Rahman, a former consultant at Shifa International Hospital, on Friday after he failed to submit his reply in a consumer complaint filed by a patient.Hajira Bibi, who was treated by various doctors at the hospital from November 2012 to April 2015, had complained that the hospital failed to even diagnose the real disease which was afflicting her during the period and “extorted money through ill advice and irrelevant tests”.The complainant told the court that she visited a consulting medical specialist at the hospital in November 2012 and after numerous visits over the next five-six months she was referred to an infection specialist. The infection specialist referred her to the pulmonology department for tuberculosis treatment. Next, she was referred to rheumatology department, where she claimed that Dr Rahman treated her for two years. After Dr Rahman left the hospital, she paid a further five more visits to an associate consultant rheumatologist.She claimed that despite all the treatment and numerous tests, there was no improvement and instead her health deteriorated. The complainant said that she then visited a different hospital where she was diagnosed with leprosy within 20 days. This was also confirmed by a leprosy hospital in Rawalpindi. She subsequently started leprosy treatment and her health reportedly improved.In her complaint, she accused the hospital and four of its doctors of maltreatment, misdiagnosis, unfair trade practices, and corruption. She requested the court to order the hospital to give her a refund of Rs1.5 million, which she says she spent on doctors’ fees, tests, and related expenses. She has also demanded Rs10 million in compensation “for mental torture and agony, and physical and health loss” which she claims to have suffered.In total, the complainant has sought Rs15.5 million from the hospital under the Islamabad consumer law.In their reply, the hospital and the three doctors have denied all the allegations made by the complainant. “No right of the complainant has been infringed and she is not entitled to claim any compensation or damages,” reads their reply submitted to the court.The hospital added that the patient did not have a history of leprosy contact when she was at the hospital. The respondents have termed the complaint frivolous and requested the court to dismiss it.Though the court has received replies from four respondents, Dr Rahman has yet to submitted his reply despite being issued a notice. Arrest warrants have now been issued for him for his continued failure to appear before the court.Published in, November 21, 2016.