LAHORE: A distressed woman jumped off the second floor of the Lahore General Hospital (LGH) on Friday morning, days after she delivered a baby girl.

The initial inquiries suggested that it was the birth of the third daughter of the woman, Sidra Afzal (22), and she took the extreme step to avoid ‘comments or taunts’ of her relatives for not giving birth to a boy.

The LGH admin officials said the incident took place when Sidra was under treatment at the labour room of the hospital. They said she jumped from the window, received critical injuries and was shifted to the Punjab Institute of Neuro Sciences (PINS) in critical condition.

An LGH official said Sidra had given birth to her girl on Sept 18 in a private hospital of Kasur and it was her third daughter born through C-section. He said she was brought to the LGH by her family members when her condition got critical. Early on Friday, he added, Sidra went to use the washroom from where she jumped down from the window and got multiple critical injuries.

LGH Medical Superintendent Prof Nurdat Sohail said after coming from Kasur, the doctors had got her tests done and reached a decision to reoperate her at the LGH. He said around two-litre water and blood was sucked from her belly during a procedure. Keeping in view her health conditions and complications, she was shifted to intensive care unit where two women attendants were also allowed to stay with her for her care.

The MS said Sidra was again shifted to the labour room when her health improved on Sept 20.

Quoting sources, he said because of the birth of third consecutive daughter, Sidra was depressed and she took this extreme step and jumped off from the window.

Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Principal Prof Al-Fareed Zafar formed a five-member committee, headed by Prof of Urology Dr Khizar Hayyat Gondal, to probe into the matter and bring the facts to the public.

He said police were being engaged to further investigate the matter.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2023