Newborn dies due to alleged neglect of hospital authorities in Sukkur

SUKKUR: A newborn baby died from alleged lack of medical facilities in a government hospital in Sukkur on Saturday.

The newborn’s mother was forced to give birth inside a rickshaw outside the Anwar Paracha Sindh Government Teaching Hospital in Sukkur after she was sent away from the Lakki Taluka Hospital, Shikarpur, where she was being treated.

Then, under the scorching Sukkur sun, she carried her newborn in her arms and ran to the Anwar Paracha hospital where the doctors informed her that the baby would need oxygen and proper care, which they could not offer owing to lack of a gynae ward.

The woman’s family members claimed that they then took the mother and child to Sukkur Civil Hospital but ‘lack of attention’ from medical officers there resulted in the baby’s death.

However, the hospital’s medical superintendant denied the allegations and claimed no such patient came to the premises for treatment.  

On the issue, Health Minister Dr Sikander Mandhro told Geo News that he was not aware of the full details of the case. “I have dispatched a commissioner to the site, who will then brief me of the complete situation.”

He also said that the Anwar Paracha Hospital has all the required facilities. “We don’t know if the death was due to some official’s negligence or not.”  

Over the MS denying the incident despite its footage, he said that he will also look into that and the case will be investigated.   

“I will personally assure that this case is looked into,” he added.