The PAKISTANI DR FRANKENSTEIN

DAILY NEW

Dr Frankenstein Up Before the Medical Association

Dr Munir Ahmad Khan will appear today before the Pakistani Medical Association (PMA) for professional misconduct.

A month earlier, Dr Khan had announced to the world that he and his team had revived a dead 10 year old boy, Amjad Hussain, in a pioneering medical technique and not surprisingly the media dubbed him Dr Frankenstein.

Patients have often been resuscitated after being technically dead for 3 - 4 minutes, and in the case of very young babies that period can be a little longer. However, Dr Khan's achievement was that the 10 year old Amjad Hussain had been dead for 24 hours and his heart had been damaged beyond repair. The doctor and his team, temporarily replaced the damaged heart with an artificial heart, revived the dead body and then subsequently carried out a heart transplant using the technique of shock-inducement of a non-beating heart. In effect the Dr Khan transplanted a dead heart into a dead body and revived the child without any major side effects. A stunning and revolutionary procedure to say the least!

Mr and Mrs Hussain were overjoyed that their only son had been returned to them and they were fulsome in their praise of Dr Khan. "Dr Khan has performed a miracle and given us back our son. Without the doctor's intervention, our remaining years as parents would have only been filled with tears," Mr Hussain told the media.

Despite this astounding medical achievement, serious concerns have been raised by some religious groups and the legal profession. Although initially the Pakistan Medical Association trumpeted the breakthrough in its press release a month ago, it has been pressurised to backtrack and charge Dr Khan with professional misconduct whereby he is alleged to have carried out an unnecessary medical procedure and to have not shown the appropriate respect, in that he violated the dead body of the child.

The case is expected to last three days. The Daily News will be following closely the hearings against Dr Khan, and will present a daily summary of the proceedings as well as the reactions of the wider public.

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DAILY NEW

Dr Frankenstein Denies All Charges

Pervez Ashraf, the counsel for Dr Khan who is accused of professional misconduct by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) told the waiting media outside the offices where the hearings are being held: "Dr Khan is being maligned by various groups who are intent on a witch hunt. Dr Khan denies all the charges and will argue that his behaviour was both professional and in keeping with his role of saving life and causing no harm."

In the hearing, the chairman, Dr Afroz Buksh reminded everyone that the success or otherwise of the medical procedure was not relevant, but the conduct of Dr Khan vis a vis the patient Amjad Hussain was the matter under scrutiny. Friends and associates of Dr Khan, on learning of this remark by the chairman, were noticeably despondent. One who did not wished to be named told the Daily News that "by ignoring the success of the operation and its implications deals a serious blow to Dr Khan's case."

Most of the day's hearing was taken up with procedural wrangling and a detailed chronology of events that brought the ten year old Amjad Hussain back to life. Dr Khan was calm and confident in relating events that took place at the hospital, but he did show the occasional sign of irritation at the repetitious nature of some of the questioning by the panel.

During the day there was a slow build up of members of the public outside the offices where the hearing was being held. The initial on-lookers were simply curious about the whole matter. However as the day wore on, the composition of the crowd changed to people who clearly had a critical politico-religious stance. This was obvious from the banners that began to appear among the crowd. All the banners questioned the conduct of Dr Frankenstein'. One on-looker shouting slogans of condemnation told the Daily News, "Doctors think that they are God, but they are not. They are more interested in making money than making people well."

Tomorrow Dr Khan's side will have an opportunity to state its arguments against the charges of professional misconduct.

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DAILY NEW

Religious Leaders Condemn Dr Frankenstein

There was scathing criticism of Dr Frankenstein aka Dr Khan's actions in reviving the ten year old boy, Amjad Hussain. Now that through the hearings at the PMA (Pakistan Medical Association), what actually transpired has become more widely known, various religious organisations and maulanas' have been lining up to condemn Dr Khan. "The doctor had no right to interfere with the body once it was dead. Instead of helping to prepare the boy for burial, the doctor experimented on the body. This is despicable." That was one of the milder condemnations. Maulana Madudi said: "Dr Khan will burn in hell for desecrating the body of the boy." Others like Maulana Tahir Shah said at evening prayers last night, "What Dr Khan has done is an abomination. It is in keeping with the western atheistic approach to medicine. The doctor revived the boy, but what of the child's departed soul? Let us be clear, he has not revived a human being but a soulless monster! God's creation has been defiled by godless medicine."

Meanwhile at the medical hearing, Dr Khan's legal representative, Pervez Ashraf argued the doctor had been professionally responsible in his duty of care for his patient. When the chairman of the hearing asked Dr Khan whether Amjad Hussain had been fully restored to his former state, his answer was not accepted at face value. The follow-up line of questioning took a curious turn. Oblique references were made until Dr Khan was asked bluntly about whether the boy revived was the same as the child that had died. Despite the answer from Dr Khan, the doctor was asked about the boy's soul. This brought a furious response when defence counsel, demanded to know, "Which medical textbook used in medical training covered the subject of the human soul?" This led to a heated exchange and accusations of bias on the part of the chairman of the inquiry panel. Only after Pervez Ashraf threatened legal action against the chairman were questions about the soul and all matters relating to it withdrawn and expunged from the official record of the hearing.

Dr Khan's side argued that the intention of any good doctor was to save life and do no harm. "In that aspect Dr Khan had fulfilled his responsibility since the patient was alive and had suffered no lasting harm," said Mr. Ashraf. He went on further to say that the parents of the boy were overjoyed that the boy was alive.

By the time the day's proceedings came to an end, a very large and noisy crowd had gathered outside the PMA offices. The crowd was largely hostile, carrying placards condemning Dr Frankenstein. Some agitators were repeating the fatwa declared by the Supreme Ayatollah of Iran - death to those who interfere with God's wishes. As the crowd became more aggressive and vociferous, chanting of "Death to Dr Khan", police with lathis, moved in to quieten the mob.

Dr Khan was ushered out a side entrance, shielded by police officers.

Tomorrow the PMA panel will announce its adjudication regarding the professional misconduct case against Dr Khan. Meanwhile public opinion is beginning to swing against Dr Khan. The police are likely to be out in full force to maintain law and order and the public has been advised to stay away from the hearing for the sake of their own safety.

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DAILY NEW

Mass Protests Against Dr Frankenstein Spread

Overnight there were mass protests against Dr Frankenstein. In several major cities the police were out in force to quell the disturbances which involved burning of effigies, and violent protests. The passion of the protesters had been inflamed by fiery rhetoric by religious leaders attending the protests and the wall-to-wall coverage of the case in the popular media. Several people were injured due to being trampled in the crowds. In Karachi when the crowd refused to disperse, repeated lathi charges were initiated. However this only further enraged the mob and caused increased casualties amongst the public and the police.

Government ministers and the PM have to date made no comment about the Dr Frankenstein matter. An un-named government insider told the Daily News that the government could not comment until the misconduct hearing reached a conclusion, but the feeling in the cabinet was that the religious sentiments of the public had to be respected.

When the PMA hearing resumes this morning it is expected that there will be a clearly visible police presence. Large crowds are expected outside the PMA offices when the panel announces its verdict on Dr Khan's medical procedures to revive ten year old Amjad Hussain.

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Explosion Outside PMA Offices - Many Killed and Injured

A powerful explosion rocked the PMA offices and killed several people and injured many others. Casualty figures are at present uncertain, as is the actual cause of the carnage. Amid the wail of ambulances, shots and cries of the injured, the police are trying with difficulty to bring some semblance of order to a chaotic scene.

Rumours are rife that a suicide bomber was responsible for the horrific carnage. Police refuse to confirm or deny the rumour, simply saying they were not in a position to comment.

The Daily News will bring you further information as and when we have it.

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