KARACHI: A dispute over a childbirth case at a private hospital in Karachi’s Nazimabad area has escalated after a citizen accused the hospital of making his newborn baby disappear.
The incident reportedly occurred at a private hospital located in Nazimabad No. 3. According to reports, the hospital was vandalised on the night of August 27 following allegations that a newborn baby had gone missing.
Police arrived at the hospital after receiving information about the incident and recorded statements from hospital staff as well as members of the affected family.
The husband of a woman identified as Zobia, Rashid Iqbal, claimed that he had medical records showing that his wife had been pregnant.
According to Rashid Iqbal, the family had ultrasound reports and medical records documenting a pregnancy of around 38 weeks. He alleged that after his wife underwent an operation, the doctor told the family that there was no baby and that his wife had not been pregnant.
The allegation has triggered a dispute between the family and hospital administration, with both sides presenting completely different accounts of what happened.
According to sources within the hospital administration, Zobia had reportedly been visiting the hospital for check-ups since the beginning of the alleged pregnancy.
However, hospital sources claimed that there was a possibility that the woman brought to the hospital for delivery was not the same woman who had previously been receiving treatment.
The hospital administration is reportedly collecting eight to nine months of CCTV footage to investigate the movements of the woman and determine what happened before and during the alleged delivery.
Hospital sources also provided an explanation regarding the woman’s admission to the labour room.
According to the sources, the woman brought to the labour room appeared somewhat overweight, which initially made it difficult for staff to determine whether she was pregnant. However, once she was taken into the labour room, staff allegedly realised that she was not pregnant and brought her back outside.
The hospital also arranged medical tests to determine whether the woman was pregnant. The results are expected to be received within one to two days.
The controversy intensified when relatives of the woman’s family allegedly vandalised parts of the private hospital in response to the allegations.
Police subsequently reached the scene and recorded statements from the hospital staff and the family members involved.
Hospital Rejects Family’s Allegations
The head of the private hospital’s gynaecology department, Dr Anjum Ara Hassan, rejected the allegations made by the woman’s family.
In a video statement, Dr Anjum Ara Hassan said medical reports had also established that the woman was not pregnant.
She claimed that the woman had first visited her in February, stating at the time that she had been pregnant for three months. However, according to the doctor, an ultrasound conducted at the time did not confirm a pregnancy.
The doctor further alleged that entries recorded in the woman’s medical file were fake.
According to Dr Anjum Ara Hassan, when the woman arrived for admission on the day of the incident, the family presented an ultrasound report allegedly issued by another hospital. She claimed that the report showed the woman as pregnant.
The doctor said that during the hospital’s own examination, doctors checked the woman’s heartbeat and conducted other medical tests. Based on the circumstances, the duty doctor proceeded with an operation.
However, Dr Anjum Ara Hassan said that after the operation, doctors discovered that the woman was not pregnant.
The hospital has therefore strongly denied that a newborn was delivered and subsequently removed or concealed by its staff.
The conflicting accounts have created considerable uncertainty about what actually happened.
On one side, the woman’s husband says the family possesses ultrasound reports and medical records showing a pregnancy of approximately 38 weeks and alleges that the newborn disappeared after the operation.
On the other side, the hospital administration maintains that the woman was not pregnant and suggests that the documents presented to the hospital may have been fraudulent.
The hospital has also raised the possibility that the woman who arrived for delivery was different from the patient who had allegedly been receiving pregnancy-related treatment.
The authorities are expected to examine the medical records, ultrasound reports, hospital files, CCTV footage and statements from the family and hospital staff to establish the facts.
The medical test results expected within the next one or two days could also provide important evidence regarding whether the woman was pregnant at the time she was admitted.
The collection of several months of CCTV footage may help investigators determine whether the woman visited the hospital during the alleged pregnancy and whether there was any change in identity or patient records.
The police investigation will also need to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged operation and determine whether a newborn was actually delivered at the hospital.
The vandalism at the hospital has added another dimension to the case. Authorities will have to investigate both the allegations concerning the alleged newborn and any damage caused during the protest.
The case has attracted attention because of the seriousness of the allegations and the sharply conflicting claims made by the family and hospital administration.
For the affected family, the key question is whether a newborn was delivered and, if so, what happened to the child.
For the hospital administration, the central claim is that the woman was not pregnant and that documents presented to the hospital may have been falsified.
The evidence collected during the investigation will be crucial in resolving these conflicting accounts.
Police are expected to continue questioning the family and hospital staff while reviewing the available medical and CCTV records.
The authorities will also need to determine the authenticity of the alleged ultrasound reports and examine whether the patient’s medical file contains genuine or fabricated entries.
Until the investigation and medical reports are completed, the allegations of a missing newborn remain unverified.
The case has nevertheless raised serious questions about patient identification, medical record verification and hospital procedures during childbirth-related admissions.
A clear determination based on medical evidence, hospital records, CCTV footage and other available evidence will be necessary to establish exactly what happened at the Nazimabad private hospital on August 27.
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