Hospital management: Newborn kidnapped from Aitchison Hospital

Stillborns get swapped at Ganga Ram Hospital.

LAHORE:

An unidentified woman kidnapped a newborn from Lady Aitchison Hospital.

The hospital administration said Jamila, a resident of Narowal, had visited the hospital for a check-up of her three-days-old baby.

Jamil, father of the kidnapped baby, said a woman took the child away for the check-up but never returned. He accused the hospital administration of being involved in the kidnapping.

Health Services Director General Zahid Pervaiz said the woman who appeared to have abducted the baby had arrived with the family.

“The hospital administration thought her to be part of the family,” Pervaiz said. He said the family was responsible for the loss. It should not have allowed the woman to accompany them. He said a nurse at the hospital had been suspended and an inquiry had been launched.

The Health Department has announced a reward of Rs200,000 for those providing information leading to the recovery of the missing infant.

Meanwhile, a mix-up involving bodies of two stillborns at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Saturday, apparently due to negligence of hospital staff resulted in the family of one protesting against the hospital administration, accusing it of kidnapping their child and handing them another child’s body.

Some of the indignant family members broke windowpanes of Gynecology Ward and windowpanes and furniture of the Emergency Ward.

Police were called in and eventually calmed down the protesters. The hospital administration later said the attendant at the Gynecology Ward had made a mistake.

Civil Lines Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Safdar Kazmi said one of the children was five weeks and the other 23 weeks premature.

“When one of the mothers was handed over the other child’s body, she suspected that her child had been kidnapped,” Kazmi told The Express Tribune.

Ganga Ram Hospital Medical Superintendent Umer Farooq Baloch said that after the protest erupted, the administration called back the family that had been mistakenly handed over the baby body. “The protesting family recognised their baby and withdrew the kidnapping complaint.”

Muhammad Asif, in charge of police post at the hospital, said the protesting family had later apologised to the hospital administration and the police. “They were allowed to leave,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2014.