Committee formed to investigate case of newborn swapped at Civil hospital
Family claims hospital handed over dead baby girl instead of their boy
PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The parents of the newborn, who was allegedly swapped with a deceased baby at Civil hospital, have been assured by the hospital's medical superintendent Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo that an inquiry committee has been formed to look into the case.
The committee, comprising Dr Abdul Jabbar Shaikh, Dr Amina Memon and Dr Afshan Jaffri, will present its report within two days and if the parents are not satisfied with the report, then they can file a police case, said the medical superintendent. The father of the baby, Ishtiaq Ali, had claimed that their baby boy was swapped with a deceased baby girl on January 21.
Ali told The Express Tribune that he was informed about the birth of the baby boy by his mother over the phone on January 5. The hospital staff did not discharge the baby due to medical complications and instead kept it in paediatric ward II, the father claimed. However, the baby's mother was discharged on January 7 and the family was given the boy's birth certificate.
Gender sensitive: Family claims hospital swapped baby boy with girl
Ali claimed that he never saw the baby as no one was allowed inside the nursery. However, five days prior to his death, the paediatric ward administration showed them the baby from inside the ward as the baby was in critical condition.
On January 21, half an hour before the doctors handed the baby's body to the family, the doctors told the father that the baby had a hole in his heart and had only 10% chances of survival. Later on, they informed us that the baby has died and handed over the death certificate and the body to the family, said Ali.
Before the burial, Ali saw that the death certificate claimed that the baby was a girl. "I returned to the hospital and told the administration that my wife gave birth to a baby boy but the doctors refused and I had to return as I had no birth certificate at that moment," Ali said. The family buried the body on January 21 and later on contacted Eidgah police station on Monday about the incident, Ali said. They also protested outside the hospital.
Ali said that the operation theatre documents, birth certificate and the discharge certificate of the mother, all mention that she gave birth to a boy. It is only the death certificate that claims the baby was a girl.
According to Civil hospital additional medical superintendent Abdul Qadir Siddiqui, the baby's mother had a tender scar, which is why the gynaecology unit performed a caesarean operation as suggested by the doctors. "The doctors' priority was to save the mother and not the child," he added.
Siddiqui said the family had given an application to the medical superintendent but they had already constituted a committee to investigate the matter. He added that the committee will unveil the facts. However, he added that mistakes can happen due to the staff being over burdened.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2016.
The parents of the newborn, who was allegedly swapped with a deceased baby at Civil hospital, have been assured by the hospital's medical superintendent Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo that an inquiry committee has been formed to look into the case.
The committee, comprising Dr Abdul Jabbar Shaikh, Dr Amina Memon and Dr Afshan Jaffri, will present its report within two days and if the parents are not satisfied with the report, then they can file a police case, said the medical superintendent. The father of the baby, Ishtiaq Ali, had claimed that their baby boy was swapped with a deceased baby girl on January 21.
Ali told The Express Tribune that he was informed about the birth of the baby boy by his mother over the phone on January 5. The hospital staff did not discharge the baby due to medical complications and instead kept it in paediatric ward II, the father claimed. However, the baby's mother was discharged on January 7 and the family was given the boy's birth certificate.
Gender sensitive: Family claims hospital swapped baby boy with girl
Ali claimed that he never saw the baby as no one was allowed inside the nursery. However, five days prior to his death, the paediatric ward administration showed them the baby from inside the ward as the baby was in critical condition.
On January 21, half an hour before the doctors handed the baby's body to the family, the doctors told the father that the baby had a hole in his heart and had only 10% chances of survival. Later on, they informed us that the baby has died and handed over the death certificate and the body to the family, said Ali.
Before the burial, Ali saw that the death certificate claimed that the baby was a girl. "I returned to the hospital and told the administration that my wife gave birth to a baby boy but the doctors refused and I had to return as I had no birth certificate at that moment," Ali said. The family buried the body on January 21 and later on contacted Eidgah police station on Monday about the incident, Ali said. They also protested outside the hospital.
Ali said that the operation theatre documents, birth certificate and the discharge certificate of the mother, all mention that she gave birth to a boy. It is only the death certificate that claims the baby was a girl.
According to Civil hospital additional medical superintendent Abdul Qadir Siddiqui, the baby's mother had a tender scar, which is why the gynaecology unit performed a caesarean operation as suggested by the doctors. "The doctors' priority was to save the mother and not the child," he added.
Siddiqui said the family had given an application to the medical superintendent but they had already constituted a committee to investigate the matter. He added that the committee will unveil the facts. However, he added that mistakes can happen due to the staff being over burdened.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2016.