Consumer court: Health secretary, DO sued over birth certificates

Mother asked to Rs50,000 for mental agony, Rs1,500 for counsel’s fee


Our Correspondent June 20, 2013
Mother asked to Rs50,000 for mental agony, Rs1,500 for counsel’s fee PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE:


A consumer court issued notices on Wednesday to the health secretary and the district health officer, for July 2, in a suit seeking more than Rs50,000 in damages.


A woman has sued the respondents for “not preparing birth certificates” of her four children.

Petitioner Abida Parveen told the court that she had approached the department of health to get the birth certificates issued. She said she was told to bring the kachchi parchi (hospital slip). The next day she went back and was handed forms to be filled. She was also asked to deposit a Rs110 fee for each of the children in the National Bank of Pakistan branch located on the premises.

She says she deposited the fee and gave the forms and the payment receipt to the officials. She was told to return on April 5 to collect the computerised birth certificates. However, when she visited the department again, she was told that they had no record of her application. She says she had showed the men the hospital slips, the bank receipt, copies of the forms submitted to them but they insisted they had no record.

She has asked the court to direct the health secretary to probe the matter and to award her Rs50,000 for mental agony, Rs1,500 for counsel’s fee, Rs440 – the fee she deposited in the bank – and Rs1,500 for miscellaneous expenses.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20th, 2013.

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