Missing baby: PIMS blames own guards, parents

Police clueless as parents blame hospital admin.

ISLAMABAD:

The police are still groping in the dark over the whereabouts of a newborn baby gone missing from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) 48 hours after the incident. The one-day old baby boy was allegedly kidnapped by an unknown woman on Thursday morning.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Ghulam Habib, the investigating officer assigned to the case by the Margalla police, said they have no leads at the moment.

“We have asked the hospital administration to provide CCTV footage of the hospital’s main gate but we have not received it yet,” he said.

The baby’s parents Saifur Rehman and Saira are blaming the hospital administration for poor security arrangements within the wards and for delaying taking prompt action after being informed of the incident.

In response, a senior gynecologist at Pims, wishing anonymity, said “Once a baby is delivered and is being handed over to the parents, responsibility lies with them to look after him or her.”

She said the incident had never occurred at the hospital before and said it was strange that the parents allowed a stranger near their newborn.

She agreed on the need for CCTV cameras in every ward but said it would not have helped as the unidentified woman was wearing a burqa (full-body veil).

Pims Spokesperson Dr Ayesah Ehsani informed that a four-member probe committee constituted by the hospital administration had submitted its initial report.

Ehsani said the report has held on-duty security guards responsible for failing to notice the incident. “We will take disciplinary action against them,” she said.

“The parents are also responsible as they allowed a stranger near their baby and informed us late,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2013.