LAHORE: During the investigations into an incident in which a baby boy was allegedly exchanged with a dead baby girl at the Children’s Hospital, the hospital management claimed that the parents had themselves taken away the ‘male baby’ from the hospital against medical advice, without explaining the issue of babies “exchange”.

The incident was probed by a committee of senior medical teachers of the hospital following the complaint of four-day-old sick baby boy’s father Irfan, of Gujranwala, who alleged that the doctors and staff exchanged his son with a dead baby girl.

He had asked the hospital administration to return his son and initiate action against the officials responsible for the “crime” they committed.

Irfan had also brought back the body of the baby girl to the hospital which was allegedly handed over to him by the staff concerned.

Police file FIR on father’s complaint

The committee in its findings declared that the investigation officers questioned all the relevant staff, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, who remained at the neonatal unit where Irfan’s son was provided treatment. It stated that the footage of the CCTV cameras installed there were also examined.

The report says the condition of the newborn got critical despite all possible treatment, and the doctors shifted him to the high dependency unit to put him on ventilator support. However, the parents and other relatives of the patient refused to get further treatment and left the hospital along with the baby after signing the Leave Against Medical Advice form, the committee claimed.

However, the hospital’s inquiry report is silent on the issue of alleged exchange of the babies.

Meanwhile, Naseerabad police have registered an FIR on the complaint of Irfan, regarding alleged exchange of the baby boy with the dead baby girl by the hospital staff.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2024