The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Lahore has expressed serious concern over the circulation of a viral video showing a surgical procedure at Lady Willingdon Hospital, Lahore, 24NewsHD TV reported on Monday.
In an emergent meeting of PMA Lahore held at PMA House Lahore today, chaired by PMA Lahore President Prof Dr Shahid Malik, however, the participants observed that media trials and one-sided punitive action against doctors in such cases were deeply unfair.
The meeting was attended by senior members of the body, including Prof Dr Ashraf Nizami, Dr Iram Shahzadi, Dr Wajid Ali, Dr Bushra Haq, Dr Izhar Chaudhry, Dr Kamran Saeed, Dr Kamran Ahmed, Dr Tanveer Anwar, Dr Nadir Khan, Dr Ahmed Naeem Akhtar, and Dr Maryam Fatima.
The meeting held that any inquiry into the incident should focus not only on the viral footage but also on the patients' postoperative condition, including whether the surgeries were successful and whether any complications arose.
It said that if complications occurred, the matter should be reviewed by senior specialists from the relevant medical field, and any disciplinary action against the doctors should be based on the recommendations of those experts.
However, the association said that if the surgeries were successful and the patients were recovering without complications, the procedures should be viewed as a reflection of the surgeons’ professional competence, noting that surgical technique and operating speed can vary from one doctor to another.
PMA Lahore also called for a separate investigation into how the footage was recorded and later circulated, arguing that the surgeons were occupied with the operation at the time and could not have been responsible for filming or disseminating the video.
The association further criticised what it described as “double standards” in assigning responsibility, saying that if action was considered warranted against the hospital’s MS and the professor heading the department, then accountability should also extend to the Secretary of Health and the provincial Health Minister as the administrative heads of the department.
It also demanded action against government officials who, according to the association, conduct visits or raids at hospitals in the name of governance, record and publicise videos of such visits, but fail to submit formal reports to the health department documenting shortages of facilities, overcrowding or patient burden.
PMA Lahore said such practices had done little to address systemic shortcomings in public hospitals, including inadequate resources and growing pressure on healthcare staff.
The association said doctors continue to perform their duties with dedication and integrity and that any untoward incident should be addressed through a proper, evidence-based inquiry rather than public condemnation through media coverage.
PMA Lahore urged doctors to continue providing professional services and to keep patient welfare as their top priority, while assuring the medical fraternity that the association would stand firmly by them in difficult times.