Newborn bitten by rat in Holy Family Hospital

Four-member inquiry committee to determine if injury caused by negligence.


Mudassir Raja November 27, 2012

RAWALPINDI:


A rat scratched and bit a newborn baby at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on Sunday, for which his relatives blamed the staff on duty. In addition, the ‘death’ of a newborn was initially blamed on the same rat, but senior hospital officials clarified that the deceased baby was stillborn.


Though the baby was not seriously injured, there can be nothing more shocking than a rat biting a newborn, and that too in a hospital, said Muhammad Shakeel, the baby boy’s cousin, while talking to The Express Tribune.

The incident speaks volumes about hygiene in public hospitals and the degree of care newborns receive, said Shakeel.

The negligent attitude of doctors and staff who attended to my aunt is responsible for the injury to the newborn,” added Shakeel, who had brought the expecting mother to HFH from Taxila on Sunday night.



After the delivery, the doctors shifted the mother, Rahila Bibi, to the gynaecology ward and kept the baby in the nursery.

The staff did not hand the baby over to me and demanded his father’s national identity card, Shakeel said. “An attendant [for another child] informed the staff that a rat had scratched and bitten the baby in the nursery.”

HFH Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Muhammad Fiaz said a four-member inquiry committee comprising Additional MS (AMS) Dr Tariq Masood Niazi, Administration Deputy (MS) Dr Farooq Khasana, AMS Asima Ahsan and Nursing Superintendent Prem Rose would meet on Tuesday to determine if staff negligence led to the injury.

He maintained, however, that contrary to rumour, no baby had died because of injury caused by the rat, saying that a stillbirth was wrongly attributed to the rat.

In response to a question, the MS said fumigation is done at regular intervals.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2012.

COMMENTS (3)

Maryam | 11 years ago | Reply

The responsible should be punished.Hospital seems like a garbage place, different rapers, cats in wards, and rats can be seen easily.We can see cats & rats more than patients. Authorities should pay their attention for the problems of patients.Doctors firstly should give some medicine to these rats.

Sidra | 11 years ago | Reply How sad! please post updates on this tragic incident and inform the public of the inquiry taking place. The responsible should be fired and better training and facilitation of the nursery should be made a pirority. Although what is meant to happen cannot be changed but all precautions and human resources should be used to take care of the hygiene in the hospital. Truly a pitiful situation for the hospital.
VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ