Baby boy born on hospital lawn

Doctor allegedly told expecting mother to go to her private clinic

SUKKUR: Despite the education and health 'emergency' declared by the Sindh government, the situation in public-sector hospitals and schools seems to be worsening day by day.

At Civil Hospital, Sukkur, which enjoys the position of being a teaching hospital of Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College, patients are mostly seen lying on the floor due to shortage of beds in the wards. The situation in rural areas is even worse and people often decry absence of doctors and medicines at health facilities. In a shocking incident that occurred at Taluka Hospital, Madeji, in Shikarpur district on Thursday, a pregnant woman gave birth to a baby boy on the lawn of the hospital because the doctor refused to attend to her.



Naseema, wife of Gaji Shar, a resident of Noor Mohammad Shar village, was brought to Taluka Hospital, Madeji, following labour pains. However, Dr Erum Sial allegedly refused to attend to her and said that Naseema's delivery might take a couple of hours and, therefore, advised her husband to shift the woman to her private clinic.

The family waited in the hospital's lawn but in the meantime, Naseema gave birth to a baby boy.

Naseema's mother-in-law, Mai Zubedah, told Madeji-based journalists that the doctor asked her to bring her daughter-in-law to her private clinic. "We are poor people and could not afford to visit her private clinic and, therefore, were waiting for the medical superintendent in the lawn where my daughter-in-law gave birth to a baby boy," she lamented.



Shikarpur district health officer Dr Kazi Khursheed has formed an inquiry committee, headed by assistant district health officer Dr Zulfiqar Abro, to investigate the matter and report back in three days.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2017.