Constant vigilance: Hospital staff suspended over missing newborn

4 people suspended from service, requests for suspension of 3 others sent to health secretary after newborn kidnapped.

MULTAN:

Four people were suspended from service and requests for suspension of three others were sent to the health secretary on Saturday after a newborn was kidnapped from the Muzafarhgarh district headquarters hospital.

Aashiq Hussain said his 23-year-old wife Mehnaz Bibi gave birth to a boy on Friday. He said the child was taken to the children’s ward from where it disappeared overnight.

On Wednesday, the couple and a dozen relatives staged a protest demonstration in front of the hospital and filed an FIR with the Civil Lines police against the kidnapping. Muzafarhgarh DCO Shaukat Ali took notice of the case and spoke to the protestors.

Ali said initial investigations had revealed that the CCTV camera at the hospital had broken down. He said he had requested the health secretary to immediately suspend Dr Shahid Riaz, medical officer Dr Fauzia Aslam and in-charge nurse Rukhsana Kausar.

He said on-duty ward servant Muhammad hafeez, Muhammad kaleeem, night watchman Allah Baksh and sweeper Saeydaan Maayi had been suspended.

He said an inquiry against hospital MS Ahmed Hasan had also been initiated.

The inquiry committee constituted by the DCO is headed by Assistant Commissioner Sajjad Husnain, DSP Saleem Bukhari and district health officer Mushtaq Rasool. The committee will submit its report on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2014.