Sharmeen's tweets about harassment stir debate on social media

KARACHI: Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy posted on twitter about a doctor, who treated her sister and later tried to connect with her on social media; following her posts, a widespread debate has taken over social media in Pakistan.

Chinoy took to Twitter to share the story of her sister, who had gone to a private hospital for a medical check-up but later received a friendship request on social media from the same doctor who tended to her. 

She had said: "There are zero boundaries in #pakistan! Last night my sister went to AKU emergency & the doctor who tended to her tried 2 add her on FB 1/2." 

She remarked: "I don't quite understand how doctor tending 2 emergency patients thinks it's ok to take a female patient info & add her on FB! 2/2 unethical."

She further added: "Unfortunately the doctor messed with the wrong women in the wrong family and I will definitely report him! Harassment has 2 stop!"

Rumours on social media suggested that the doctor had been fired from the hospital. 

However, when contacted, the Aga Khan University Hospital did not confirm or deny whether the doctor has been removed from his post or not.

"The Aga Khan University Hospital always maintains the highest standards of confidentiality and will not release any information on either employees or patients."

While speaking on Geo News, social activist Maleeha Hussain remarked that sending a friendship request does not constitute as harassment in any way. 

"It would be harassment if the person had sent her an indecent message or shared any inappropriate picture with her. But, if someone sends you a friendship request you can simply block them. This is not harassment," remarked Hussain. 

"We don't know what the person's intentions were," she added. 

On the other hand, senior journalist Uzma Alkarim said that the term 'harassment' is misused quite often. 

"If Sharmeen has used the term then there must be more to the case than meets the eye," shared Uzma. 

Most hospitals have a code of conduct, where the doctors and medical staff are not allowed to contact patients. 

"You can't initiate contact with any patient, it's very different if a patient is initiating contact," she added.