HYDERABAD: A young rural woman gave birth to sextuplets – three boys and as many girls – in a premature delivery at a charity hospital here on Tuesday. All but one died within a few hours of birth.

According to Dr Tariq Feroz Memon, additional medical superintendent of Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation (KKF) hospital, Ms Rekha wife of Laxman delivered the babies in the 21st week of the pregnancy with premature low birth weight at 3am on Tuesday. “Babies with 37 to 38 weeks gestation period usually have better chances to survive,” said the doctor.

He said that one of the sextuplets fell prey to intrauterine fetal death, four were in a state of gasping and died one by one within a span of two to three hours and the last one, a baby girl, was also in critical condition and kept in nursery,” said the doctor.

He said that this was Rekha’s first pregnancy. She is a resident of Umerkot. KKF hospital is managed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s social welfare wing.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2023