LAHORE: The Kot Khwaja Saeed Hospital administration got a girl arrested after she allegedly attempted to kill her newborn baby she had delivered just a few hours back at the healthcare facility, by throwing him in a toilet tank.

As per hospital administration and police, the incident occurred on Monday night when the 18-year-old ‘M’ delivered a male baby at the hospital’s gynae ward, and later attempted to kill him by wrapping in a shopping bag and throwing in the water tank of a toilet.

The hospital administration was informed about the incident by a sweeper.

Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Saeed Akbar told the media that the newborn luckily survived due to timely treatment provided by the medics. He said the baby had been kept in the incubator for further treatment.

The hospital administration said the girl’s sister initially told the doctors that ‘M’ was married and considering it a “routine delivery case” they admitted her in the gynae ward.

Later, the hospital administration informed police about the matter after which the girl and her sister who was accompanying her were booked.

A police official quoting ‘M’ said she got pregnant after she developed relations with a cousin. She concealed the pregnancy from her family because of the stigma attached to such births and later shared the information with her sister who accompanied her to hospital.

He said a case had been registered against the girl and her sister on the complaint of a duty doctor, adding that ‘M’ was in police custody.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2020