Congratulations, it's nothing

A disturbingly unusual incident that took place recently at a private hospital in Nazimabad, Karachi, has left the public stunned. A couple visited the hospital on November 20, 2025, and was blessed with the news of a baby, according to media reports. Nine months later, the same doctor who confirmed the pregnancy was purportedly involved in a vile coverup: the disappearance of the baby.

While this particular case is as bizarre as it can get, the widespread prevalence of small, private hospitals that operate with neither official licences nor quality equipment is only a marker of such inevitable incidents. When a sector as sensitive and personal as healthcare is allowed to flourish independently, free from the watchful eye of the government, what ultimately happens there is a direct result of poor governance.

According to the couple's account, the attending doctor had confirmed the pregnancy, provided ultrasound reports over the course of nine months to corroborate her news, and even gave them an estimate of the baby's weight and size. Despite all this, the hospital staff, including doctors, was confident enough to assert that there was no baby - only air in the abdomen.

While an investigation is underway, the staff's disappearance before the police's arrival clearly suggests something fishy. And the only probable criminal practice that can be linked to this incident is the illegal sale of babies. For a risk this grave, the Nazimabad hospital as well as any private, licence-less hospital should immediately be sealed and done for. Healthcare should only be allowed to operate under a strict system of surveillance and security, with dedicated hospitals accessible to both the rich and poor. The recent incident at PIMS further highlights the urgent need for a complete overhaul of the current system that is failing to protect vulnerable lives over and over again.