Pakistan – An ex-security guard at a Pakistani hospital posed as a doctor and performed surgery on a woman leading to her death two weeks later, the police announced on Monday (June 7).
The 80-year-old woman, Shameema Begum, passed away on Sunday (June 6) after Muhammad Waheed Butt tried to treat her back wound at a public hospital located in Lahore, reported AFP.
An administrative official from Lahore’s Mayo Hospital who did not want to be named noted it was unclear what kind of surgery the impostor had performed on the woman in the operating room with an accompanying qualified technician.
“We can’t keep up with what every doctor and what everyone is doing at all times. It’s a large hospital,” he added.
Patients seeking medical assistance from Pakistan’s public hospitals must pay some money for treatment, leading to inefficiencies and chaos.
Ms Begum’s family had paid Butt for the operation and two home visits to dress her wound.
However, when the bleeding and pain from the wound worsened, her family returned her to the hospital. They soon discovered Butt’s wrongdoings.
Ms Begum’s body is being kept for an autopsy to investigate whether her death resulted from complications of the botched surgery.
“The guard has been charged and is in police custody,” said Lahore police spokesman Ali Safdar to AFP.
The officer revealed that “Butt had posed as a doctor and paid home visits to other patients in the past”.
Butt was fired two years ago for trying to extort money from patients, confirmed Mayo Hospital staff.
A similar incident occurred earlier in May when a man was arrested for posing as a doctor at Lahore General Hospital and extorted money from patients./TISG
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