Life-threatening disease torments rape victim

Published February 22, 2015
A girl with a message against rape. —AFP/file
A girl with a message against rape. —AFP/file

LAHORE: It seems that there is no end to the misery of a seven-year-old girl who has developed a serious medical condition — septicemia — at the Children’s Hospital Lahore a week after she was repeatedly raped by gangster(s).

She underwent a first surgical procedure at the Children’s Hospital, where the doctors applied stitches to the wounds on the inner part of her body to stop massive bleeding.

The unfortunate baby girl (R ), daughter of a poor villager, was raped at a small town in Sargodha district a week ago. She was found unconscious with blood on her dress.

According to doctors, the girl has developed septicemia. They termed Sepsis (Septicemia) a life-threatening illness medical condition. In severe cases, they said one or more organs fail and in the worst cases, infection leads to a life-threatening drop in blood pressure, called septic shock.

Children’s Hospital Medical Director Dr Ehsan Waheed Rathore told Dawn the wounds on the lower part of the girl’s body have got infected which according to him has emerged as a serious issue for the treating doctors.

He said the girl had developed septicemia, an infection that has spread through the body. He said the rape victim was also suffering a chronic stress which has led to severe trauma syndrome as was evident from her medical condition.

“We have activated our Child Protection Unit too to address the rape-related post-traumatic stress disorder to avoid further memory loss and to prevent her from entering in the acute phase,” Prof Rathore said.

An antibiotic therapy has been advised immediately to disinfect the wounds, he said adding that the girl has undergone a surgical procedure to apply stitches on the profound tears or cuts surfaced in the wake of the potential sexual assault.

The girl’s father (F) told Dawn the police had lodged a criminal case the same day and arrested two suspects. But, he added, his relatives told him by phone on Saturday that police had declared the accused arrested in the case innocent.

Published in Dawn February 22nd , 2015

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