A woman in Civil Hospital, Thatta, delivered her baby on the pavement after being refused entry into the maternity ward, Express Tribune reported. According to them, Halima Machhi came to deliver her baby at the public hospital in Darro on Sunday. The public hospital serves the areas of Thatta and Sujiwal.
The mother in labour was asked to leave by the gynaecological unit’s on-call physician as she claimed a lack of staff. Halima then delivered her child at the hospital gate without any aid or assistance from the hospital, leaving the baby and mother in a critical state till now. Relatives spoke to the media, saying that the Civil Hospital, regardless of its size and the population it serves, was unable to provide basic emergency services to its patients. Concerns mount over patient safety after mother gives birth outside Civil Hospital, Thatta.
This incident has raised concerns about the condition of maternity care at a public hospital in the region. The patients come from poor backgrounds, which was another concern raised by civil rights groups. The Human Rights Protection and Social Justice, Thatta, stated that the hospital is run by incompetent staff. The hospital has been transformed into a referral facility, and its operations are influenced by external organisations and retired official Malik Adam, they claimed.
The activists further added that the women who come for emergency services during labour and delivery are met with verbal abuse and excuses of insufficient staff, which results in several childbirth cases like this one. They added that cases like these constitute an attack on the patient’s rights and require the government to conduct an independent assessment of the hospital’s maternity services.
The media persons covering the case were also met with harassment when they were confronted by goons who grabbed their gold chains, cash and cell phones.
