Several relatives of a woman who had a stillbirth at a private clinic on Thursday staged a protest demonstration against the doctor accusing her of negligence. Later some neighbours of the family also joined them.
The protesters said a woman in labour was taken to the clinic on Sargodha Road. They were later informed that she had had a still birth, they said. Blaming the doctor for stillbirth, some of her relatives broke the clinic’s windows. They later called some of their neighbours, who placed barriers in front of the clinic and blocked the street.The woman’s husband, Altaf Hussain, said that Dr Shama had been treating his wife for several weeks. He said she had handled the baby carelessly and caused injuries leading to its death. He said a nurse later told him that the baby had slipped from the doctor’s hands and fallen to the ground causing death from a head injury. He said he and his relatives had gone looking for the doctor, but she had fled, locking her office behind her. The protesters shouted slogans against the doctor and demanded that she be arrested immediately. They also demanded that the Health Department verify her credentials. The protest ended when the Sargodha Road SHO visited the scene and assured the protesters that the doctor would be arrested soon. He said an inquiry would be initiated into the case.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2013.