(30 March 2018) The sudden increase in incidents of violence and intolerance have reached an alarming level. The most recent is the incident of Suneel Masih a young Christian who was brutally tortured by the security guards and doctors at Services Hospital Lahore. Suneel succumbed to death due to the injuries inflicted on him after a scuffle with medical staff broke out regarding treatment of his sister at the maternity ward, because of demanding a check up from the competent doctor rather than a nurse.
An FIR has been registered at the Shadman Police Station, Lahore in which at least 2 lady doctors and 3 male doctors along with the security guards have been nominated. However no arrest has been made yet. The Young Doctors Association (YDA) of Punjab has threatened the government that if their coworkers will be arrested then they will call a protest or go on strike.
The National Commission for Justice and Peace strongly condemned this inhuman murder of Suneel Masih. In a joint statement His Excellency Archbishop Dr. Joseph Arshad, Chairperson, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Yousaf (Mani) National Director and Mr. Cecil Shane Chaudhry Executive Director stated that it is the responsibility of doctors to give care and support to a patient and treat them with respect regardless of their class, color or creed. They expressed their deep concern over the level of extreme negligence by the hospital administration, and demanded that the Chief Minister Punjab, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif having taken notice of the incident must ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice immediately.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Yousaf (Mani) stated that such kind of behavior is not expected from doctors. They have to understand the difficulties and anxieties faced by relatives and friends of patients. He further stated that justice must be served to the poor family of Suneel; he demanded that Chief Justice of Pakistan should take a suo moto notice of the case while the government and concerned departments should take strong measures to ensure that such tragic incidents do not occur in the future.
The Chairperson of NCJP, His Excellency Archbishop Dr. Joseph Arshad prayed for the soul of the deceased and his family, especially for Suneel’s wife and four minor children that may the Lord give them strength in this extremely difficult time. ‘A doctor’s responsibility is to save lives and not take lives’ he stated.
