Two months on: Zero progress on inquiry into stolen baby

CADD, family blame PIMS for delaying tactics, not referring investigation to police.

ISLAMABAD:

There has been no headway in the inquiry into how a newborn was stolen from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on January 9, with the hospital, police and CADD all pointing fingers at each other.

Prior to the January 9 incident, a newborn was also stolen from the hospital’s Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health department in November 2013.

The police say they are waiting for an inquiry report to be prepared by the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) before proceeding further, while CADD says nobody asked them to probe the issue.

The Margalla police said they were waiting for the CADD inquiry. “We formally requested that CADD provide us with a copy of the inquiry report, but so far, we have not gotten it yet,” said a police official.

On the other hand, CADD Secretary Khalid Hanif said he had not received any request from the police yet. “I was thinking about contacting the Margalla police for an update on the case,” he said.

Hanif said that in February, CADD had directed Pims to issue show-cause notices to MNCH staffers who did not comply with standard operating procedures, which bar the removal of a newborn from the hospital without a discharge certificate.

There is also the unresolved issue of the mandate of CADD, as the hospital has become an autonomous body after it was granted university status.

Pims spokesperson Dr Ayesha Ishani said the hospital had received a letter from CADD on February 21. She, however, said that the staff members have requested time to provide responses.

She said most staffers have replied, and as soon as the rest respond, the inquiry report will be sent to CADD.

The family that lost the baby boy has been protesting at the hospital premises since the incident. “If we leave the hospital and go home, the inquiry will not move forward,” said Atiqur Rehman, a maternal uncle of the stolen baby.

The hospital initially blamed the mother and the family for the incident, but CADD questioned how the baby was removed without a discharge certificate and held MNCH staff responsible.

An initial inquiry by CADD raised suspicion that the incident was planned and executed in connivance with hospital staff.

Hospital officials held responsible and suggested to be of interest for the police included MNCH Deputy Director Dr Riffat Kamal, in-charge nurse Azra Ameen, head nurse Zainab Khatoon, and security guards Usman Hussain and Syedur Rehman.

CADD had also directed that Dr Shanzy, who was the doctor in-charge on the night of incident, also be investigated.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2015.