Nashwa's parents, hospital admin reach out-of-court settlement

Published May 22, 2019
Baby Nashwa, who was paralysed after being injected with wrong dosage of a solution at the Darul Sehat Hospital, passed away last month. — DawnNewsTV/File
Baby Nashwa, who was paralysed after being injected with wrong dosage of a solution at the Darul Sehat Hospital, passed away last month. — DawnNewsTV/File

The administration of Darul Sehat Hospital and parents of Nashwa — a minor who passed away last month after being injected with the wrong dosage of a solution at the said facility — have reached an out-of-court settlement, Dawn.com reported on Wednesday.

The written agreement dated May 18, was signed between Nashwa's parents Qaiser Ali and Shumaila Qaiser, and Darul Sehat hospital through its Chairman Amir Waliuddin Chishti and Vice Chairman Syed Ali Farhan.

As per the agreement, Nashwa's parents will not claim any damages or compensation as long as the hospital abides by the conditions of the agreement. The family will also not pursue the case lodged at the Shahrah-i-Faisal police station.

Furthermore, if the police investigation against the hospital's nurse Sobia and nursing assistant Agha Moiz leads to a court case, it "shall be withdrawn or compounded" by Nashwa's family. It is not yet clear if the family has submitted a formal request to the police to call off the investigation.

Meanwhile, the hospital will build a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), which is only available in a few hospitals in Pakistan by May 31, 2020. The unit will be named Baby Nashwa PICU. The hospital, as part of the settlement, will also set aside Rs5 million annually in the "Nashwa Fund" to provide free treatment to the "poor and needy patients".

Darul Sehat will also provide a scholarship to one student of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery or Bachelor of Dental Surgery every year. The candidate for Nashwa Scholarship — named after the deceased infant — will be selected by her parents and shall fulfil the requirements for admission set by regulatory authorities. If the candidate does not fulfil the requirements and is rejected, Nashwa's parents will select another student.

The agreement says that the hospital has taken all the measures recommended by the Sindh Health Care Commission and "undertaken to further abide by any directions of the regulatory authorities".

Baby Nashwa, who was left paralysed after she was allegedly injected with the wrong dosage of a solution at the Darul Sehat Hospital in Karachi, passed away on April 22. According to the first information report, Nashwa had been administered an overdose of potassium chloride and that too not via a drip. Minutes later, her lips turned blue and she began having trouble breathing. She was then given CPR for 45 minutes and was then placed on a ventilator. She died two weeks later.

A forensic report of the deceased, that was released last week, confirmed that she had died due to multi-organ failure that was caused by "fast intravenous administration of Potassium Chloride (KCl)".

A case was filed by Nashwa's father against 13 people including the chairman and vice chairman of the hospital along with 11 other administrative and medical officials for the death of the infant.

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan turbulence
Updated 19 Mar, 2024

Afghan turbulence

RELATIONS between the newly formed government and Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban rulers have begun on an...
In disarray
19 Mar, 2024

In disarray

IT is clear that there is some bad blood within the PTI’s ranks. Ever since the PTI lost a key battle over ...
Festering wound
19 Mar, 2024

Festering wound

PROTESTS unfolded once more in Gwadar, this time against the alleged enforced disappearances of two young men, who...
Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...