SAHIWAL: Around three dozen people blocked the National Highway on Wednesday night in protest against the death of a woman during childbirth at an illegal private hospital at Ada Gamber.

The relatives of the deceased alleged that the facility was being run by unqualified staff (quacks), including a midwife and lady health visitors, claiming that their patient died after being administered an excessive dose of anaesthesia before the C‑section.

Nouraz Khan Baloch, a resident of Chak 58/5‑L, brought his wife Noreen, 40, to Noor Al‑Noor Maternity Surgical Clinic, owned by Dr Muhammad Ahmed, for delivery. The family had been in contact with the hospital staff throughout her pregnancy period. Noreen gave birth to her first son but failed to regain consciousness and died shortly afterward.

The family members demanded an explanation but hospital staff allegedly avoided giving clear answers. Later, all the relatives of the deceased damaged the hospital furniture and windows while the doctor and medical staff fled the premises. The protesters blocked one side of the highway.

Yousafwala police reached the scene, negotiated with protesters to end protest, and persuaded them to allow a medical examination of the body.

A post-mortem was carried out at the Sahiwal Teaching Hospital and the final report was pending while the samples were sent to Lahore for forensic analysis.

CEO Health Azhar Naqvi told Dawn that he received a written application at his WhatsApp from Dr Muhammad Ahmed, an MBBS doctor, claiming to be the proprietor of the hospital. In his application, Dr Ahmed alleged that an LHV, Shamim Akhter, and a midwife, Basherain Bibi, were running a clinic at the back of his hospital using his name. He confirmed that his hospital was not yet registered with the Punjab Healthcare Commission but he had applied for registration.

In the same application, Dr Ahmed further claimed that Shamim Akhter had previously been fined Rs300,000 for running an illegal abortion clinic, which was sealed by Dr Saad Bin Saeed, DDHO Sahiwal, but it was later reopened without authorisation. The doctor wanted the CEO health to take legal action against the LHV and midwife in his application.

The CEO said he asked Dr Ahmed to submit a formal written application with his CNIC copy for legal action against the LHV. The CEO said an inquiry into the incident would be marked on Monday after the holidays if he received an application from the family of the deceased woman.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2026