A trans activist died from a gunshot wound because doctors failed to call senior surgeons and wasted time debating which gender hospital ward she should go in, a Pakistani inquiry has found.
A report found that the transgender activist, Alisha, may still be alive if doctors had treated her wounds immediately instead of leaving her for hours when she was brought in last month, Pakistan Today reported.
Local activists say staff at Lady Reading Hospital were extremely rude, making fun of their looks and making sexual advances, while Alisha was dying of her injuries. Some Pakistani media reports have also misgendered the victim.
The regional health department has requested governors at the hospital act on the inquiry 's findings to ensure a repeat does not occur.
Despite serious injuries, the 25-year-old did not receive appropriate care, the report found. The initial medical officer failed to call a senior registrar or carry out necessary surgeries, according to Pakistan Today. The patient was then transferred to the orthopedic ward after the staff failed to allocate a bed in either the male or female ward.
Urgent surgery was performed, but it was too late, and she later died of her injuries.
The government rejected an earlier report into the incident, accusing investigators of being too soft.
There are varying accounts in Pakistani media over how the woman sustained her injuries. The Associated Press reported that Alisha was shot five times by her boyfriend, who has since been arrested.
The woman's body was later carried outside where friends and associates staged a protest against her treatment.
