QUETTA: Civil Hospital Quetta has strongly denied allegations that its staff demanded money from the families of the deceased in exchange for handing over bodies from the hospital’s mortuary.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Medical Superintendent Dr. Abdul Hadi Kakar dismissed the claims as “baseless” and said they were part of a deliberate attempt to malign the reputation of the hospital and its staff.
Dr. Kakar clarified that no evidence had been found suggesting that any hospital employee was involved in seeking money from bereaved families. “An internal inquiry has confirmed that the person involved was not a hospital employee but a volunteer associated with a welfare organization,” he said, adding that the organization had since terminated the individual’s services.
He further stated that an inquiry ordered by Provincial Health Minister Bakht Kakar also found no involvement of hospital staff in the alleged misconduct.
“In light of this incident, the hospital administration has begun formulating new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to better regulate the activities of welfare organizations within the hospital premises,” Dr. Kakar added. He confirmed that the concerned welfare organization’s operations had been temporarily suspended until the new SOPs are implemented.
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It is worth mentioning that a foreign media outlet on September 30 reported claims by the relatives of a blast victim in Quetta, alleging that they were asked to pay money for the release of the body from the hospital.
