• Committee finds woman in labour was denied ultrasound examination and advised to walk around
• Disciplinary action recommended against RMO held responsible for negligence

KARACHI: An inquiry committee formed to investigate reports that a pregnant woman gave birth to a child in a Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) washroom has concluded that the delivery took place in a toilet and blamed officials concerned for not properly assessing or monitoring her after she arrived at the hospital in labour.

Last week, videos went viral on social media claiming that a woman gave birth to a child in a JPMC washroom. However, the hospital administration denied the allegations. Later, a three-member inquiry committee was formed to investigate the childbirth incident.

The committee has found serious lapses in patient care, revealing that a pregnant woman was not provided with a timely medical assessment, was denied an ultrasound examination and was merely advised to walk around despite being in labour.

According to the committee’s report, no ultrasound examination was carried out, and the patient was advised to walk instead of being properly assessed and monitored.

The committee noted that the failure to promptly evaluate her condition ultimately led to the woman delivering her baby in a hospital washroom.

Officials said the inquiry report submitted to the executive director of JPMC also found that the consultant and resident medical officer (RMO) on duty were absent from their assigned responsibilities.

The report concluded that the affected woman reached the hospital’s gynaecology ward at around 9:30pm on the night of the incident but did not receive the standard evaluation expected for a patient presenting with labour pains.

The washroom childbirth case sparked widespread public concern after a video related to the incident went viral on social media last week, triggering criticism of conditions and patient care standards at one of Sindh’s largest public-sector hospitals.

Following the public outcry, the Sindh Health Department and JPMC administration constituted a three-member inquiry committee to determine the circumstances that led to the incident and identify any negligence on the part of hospital staff.

The officials said the committee has recommended that the RMO held responsible for negligence be referred to the Sindh Health Department for departmental proceedings. It has also proposed extending the training period of the postgraduate doctors on duty by three months as a disciplinary measure aimed at improving professional accountability and clinical supervision.

During the course of the investigation, the committee recorded statements from the affected woman, her husband and the woman who assisted in the delivery inside the washroom.

Statements from doctors, nursing staff and other hospital personnel were also obtained, while CCTV footage and hospital records were reviewed as part of the inquiry.

Earlier, in its initial response the JPMC flatly denied that the woman delivered her baby in a washroom, terming the reports baseless and announcing the formation of an inquiry committee to investigate the incident.

At that time, hospital officials had maintained that the patient was medically assessed upon arrival and that a normal delivery took place in the designated labour room under medical supervision.

They claimed that the pregnant woman was immediately attended to by doctors in the gynaecology emergency ward and underwent a medical examination. Following the assessment, the medical team opted for a normal delivery in the best interest of the patient’s health, they said.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026