Amal Umer case: Parents reject hospital’s claim of not refusing treatment
SC constitutes committee to prepare report on the case
September 27, 2018
ISLAMABAD: Parents of a 10-year-old who lost her life on the eve of Independence Day rejected the claim of a private hospital of not refusing treatment to the injured child.
A representative of the National Medical Centre (NMC) and Amal's parents — Umer and Beenish — were present in court. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing the case.
As the hearing went under way, an NMC representative apprised the court that the hospital was treating Amal but her parents wanted to shift Amal to another medical facility.
However, Amal's parents maintained their earlier stance that the hospital had refused to treat their child.
Declaring the hospital's statement a 'pack of lies' the deceased child's father said: "The hospital administration insisted that we shift Amal to another medical facility.
When we requested the hospital to let us borrow its staff and artificial respiration equipment, it refused to do so."
Expressing his anger at false claims of the hospital, the chief justice admonished the NMC representative. "You are a doctor, why do you need to lie?" Justice Nisar remarked.
The court then ordered to constitute a committee headed by Justice Khilji Arif Hussain. Further, it summoned a report on the matter within two weeks and adjourned the hearing.
The committee will include former Sindh inspector general AD Khawaja and a member of the district bar.
The case
Amal was killed when a policeman fired a bullet attempting to kill a robber, who had robbed her family a few minutes earlier.
"We were traveling from Korangi Road towards FTC when a man approached us at the signal and asked us to hand over everything," Umer told Geo News.
“There was a lot of traffic at the signal at the time. The man took my wife’s phone and bag and then told us to roll up the windows and left,” he continued. "As soon as I started the car, we heard a gunshot and a bullet suddenly hit our windshield."
Umer and his wife, Beenish, then turned back to check up on their two daughters sitting in the backseat, who they had asked to lie down when they heard the gunshots.
"When I turned, I saw Amal lying in a pool of blood and my other daughter clutching my seat," Umer said.
Panicked, Umer tried to rush Amal to nearby NMC. "I rolled down my window and asked people to clear the path. We did not know where the bullet had hit, as her hair was in her face and her eyes were open but there was a lot of blood,” he said.
Luckily, they reached the hospital in three to five minutes. But, according to Umer, instead of being given immediate treatment, the hospital staff intubated Amal, attached an ambu bag and asked him to take his child to Jinnah hospital as she 'did not have much time' and it was 'a medico-legal case.'
The hospital initially did not even help them arrange an ambulance, Beenish added.
By the time an ambulance reached the family and took the injured child to Jinnah Hospital it was too late. Amal had lost the battle for her life by then.
