A 30-year-old Christian sanitation worker in Pakistan was left to die at a government run hospital after medical doctors celebrating Ramadan refused to treat his “dirty body.”
Irfan Masih and three other sanitation workers fell unconscious after inhaling poisonous fumes from a manhole due to poor ventilation and lack of appropriate safety equipment.
After the workers arrived at a nearby hospital, Masih’s family said he was denied treatment and doctors watched him gasp for air before he reportedly took his last breath. Even after the family pleaded with doctors to treat him, they still turned their nose at him.
Irshad Masih, the mother of the deceased told The Pakistani Express Tribune,“The doctors refused to treat him because they were fasting and said my son was ‘napaak [unclean].’”
The deceased man’s brother, Pervaiz Masih said, “Dr. Yousuf said he would not touch Irfan’s dirty body until it was cleaned. I cleaned his body, after which an oxygen pump was sent for Irfan, but that was empty.”
As an immediate reaction to Masih’s death, the family staged a 10 hour protest. In response, “Additional Deputy Commissioner Subhash Chandar Sham [stated] an inquiry would be conducted against the municipal authorities and doctors.”
Spirit of #Ramzan? 30-yr-old Irfan Masih, Christian sanitary worker dies in Umerkot after fasting doctors refuse to touch his 'unclean' body pic.twitter.com/C9RvnKR79X
— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) June 3, 2017
The Pakistani authorities reported Dr. Jaam Kunbhar, a man linked to Masih’s case is now in police custody and Dr. Yousuf and Dr. Allah Dad Rathore are still on the run.
A report filed in the last week said, a case was registered against six suspects including three doctors on behalf of Irfan’s father.
The three other men, Faisal Masih, Yaqoob Masih and Shaukat Masih, were referred to Hyderabad and later Karachi for additional medical treatment.
Christian persecution in Pakistan is categorized as extreme due to the heavy influence of corruption and Islamic oppression, Open Doors USA reported.
To help persecuted Christians in nations like Pakistan, click here.
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