UMAR RASHID
Baramulla, May 25:Patients and attendants at a private clinic in the Kanth Bagh area of Baramulla have voiced strong resentment against a doctor Shiekh Mustafa Gynecologist accusing him of negligence and lack of communication. According to several patients, the doctor has failed to attend to them for two consecutive Sundays, despite having charged significant amounts for surgeries.
A number of patients, some of whom had travelled from far-flung areas, expressed frustration over being left unattended. “We have paid thousands of rupees for our surgeries, but the doctor is neither available nor informing us about his absence. He only performs the surgery and then disappears,” said one of the aggrieved attendants.
There were also serious allegations that the doctor’s assistants — referred to by some as his “private boys” — are taking key decisions on behalf of the doctor, even advising surgeries without proper discussion with patients or their families.
When approached for comment,an owner of the said clinic denied all allegations, stating, “The doctor has been attending to patients regularly. However, today he is unwell. We never advise any surgery without the doctor’s consultation.”
Patients have appealed to health authorities to intervene and investigate the matter. “If we pay large sums for private treatment, why are we being treated like animals? The authorities must look into why patients are left unattended after surgery,” one patient said.