KARACHI: Police on Thursday filed an interim charge sheet against the owner, administration and medical staff of a private hospital in a case pertaining to death of a minor girl Nashwa and also incorporated the offence of murder in the report.

The nine-month-old girl suffering from diarrhoea was allegedly given impro­­per treatment at the Darul Sehat Hospital on April 7 that paralysed her and led to her death.

On Thursday, the investigating officer filed an interim charge sheet under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before a judicial magistrate (East) and requested for 15-days time to file a final charge sheet.

In the interim charge sheet, IO Sub-Inspector Mohammad Saleem Khan nominated 13 detained and absconding members of the hospital’s administration and medical staff.

Those detained in prison on judicial remand include nursing in-charge Atif Javed, nursing assistant Agha Moiz, female staffer Sobia Irshad, deputy administration officer Ahmer Shahzad, while chief medical head Dr Sharjeel Husain and night duty doctor Atiya Ahmed are currently on bail.

The IO showed chairman of the Darul Sehat Hospital Amir Chishti, vice-chairman Syed Ali Farhan, director (HR) Irfan Aslam, executive director Dr Shehzad Alam, nursing head Dr Rizwan Azmi and Syed Shabbar Hussain Zaidi as absconders in the interim charge sheet.

In the charge sheet, the IO mentioned that he inspected the private health facility, collected evidence, including the CCTV footage, showing staffer Sobia Irshad preparing the injection and later nursing assistant Agha Moiz injecting the same to the girl.

It said that during initial interrogation Ahmer Shehzad, Atif Javed and Sobia confessed to their offence. It added that the girl died during treatment at the Liaquat National Hospital and the samples were drawn from the victim’s viscera and sent to the Dow University for histopathology analysis.

The IO said statements of complainant and suspects had been recorded and listed 25 persons as witnesses. The judge gave the IO till May 5 to submit the final charge sheet.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2019