Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) administration on Wednesday deployed guards at the National Epilepsy Centre (NEC) and prevented volunteers of an NGO—Neurology Fund (NF) from entering the premises. The NEC whose ground floor is completed with first and second floors under construction is being run by the NGO specifically for care and treatment of epilepsy patients since the past year.

Emeritus Prof. of Neurology of JPMC and the Head of the NF, Prof. Hasan Aziz told The News that several guards were deployed at the main gate of the building by the administration with clear instructions that no volunteer doctor of the NGO should be allowed inside it. He said that later, the volunteer doctors went to Ward-6 of the JPMC where they visited some patients.

Moreover, Aziz said that the rooms at the ground floor were also locked by the administration with new locks. He said that their complete records, personal things and legal documents were there. Dr Aziz regretted that such uncalled for actions of the hospital were adversely affecting medical treatment of the patients.

Around 1,000 registered patients of epilepsy were getting treatment at the NEC since last one year. The hospital administration on May 7 took control of the centre, triggering a controversy between the administration and the NGO as such action was considered violation of the concerned memorandum of understanding. The NGO has issued legal notice to the hospital administration for arbitration.