‘Who killed my baby?’

Enquiry into death of a three-year-old baby by negligence of doctors at CDA hospital yet to give final outcome.

ISLAMABAD: An enquiry into the death of a three-day-old baby by negligence of doctors at Capital Development Authority (CDA) hospital is yet to give a final outcome. CDA Spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said that an enquiry committee has been formulated by CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi to probe into the issue.

The child’s father, Zafar Iqbal, along with his uncle lodged an FIR against doctors of CDA hospital accusing them of negligence that led to the death of his three-day-old son on October 2.

After much protest by Zafar’s family, police shifted the child’s body to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) to determine the cause of death. Pims hospital conducted Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT scan) and external postpartum of the baby, after which the hospital’s medical legal officer finalized the report on October 9.

According to Pims’ report, the child’s death was due to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC); a blood clotting mechanism that happens in response to a variety of diseases. The disease results in abnormal bleeding from the patient’s skin, gastrointestinal and respiratory tract and may also cause organ failure. The report stated that no instrument had been used in the birthing and it was a normal delivery.

Medical Legal Officer of Pims emergency ward, Dr Nasreen Butt, said she compiled the report based on medical tests conducted by Pims hospital. She said that DIC takes place during normal deliveries and results in the child bleeding from the moth, nose and ear.

Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Shakeel Ahmed of Abpara Police Station said, “I am sceptical over Pims medical reports”. He alleged that the medical report prepared by Pims is unreliable as the hospital did not conduct any tests and their report is based solely on the medical report provided by CDA hospital.

“When they told me I was having a boy, I was overjoyed,” said Murium Bibi, mother of the child. “I want justice; if anyone is responsible for my baby’s death, I want them to be punished.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: October 13, 2010

An earlier version of this article mis-stated the baby's age as three years old. The baby was three days old.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2010.