TAXILA: A medical officer and a charge nurse at the tehsil headquarters hospital (THQ) hospital Pindigheb were suspended on Friday on the charges of negligence, absence from duty and submitting false statements in connection with an incident in the hospital’s labour room.

Aliya Jahanzaib was brought to the hospital on September 2 and referred to the labour room, where no female doctor was present. The patient and her attendants waited for nearly an hour before leaving the hospital and shifting to a private maternity clinic, where the baby was delivered. An inquiry found that the female doctor on night duty had left the hospital around 12:12am and returned at 2:30am, after the patient had already departed.

CCTV footage confirmed her absence despite her written statement, and that of the charge nurse claiming that the patient had been attended. The medical superintendent termed the statements “false and misleading” and ordered immediate removal of both the officials from duty. The matter has been forwarded to the District Health Authority Attock and other concerned officials for further action.

Sources said the health authorities took notice of the incident when the victim’s family approached MPA Chaudhry Sher Ali Khan, who directed the authorities concerned to probe the matter.

Barrister Azan Awan, a social activist, said the incident highlights a deeper, recurring problem of understaffing, absenteeism and inadequate emergency coverage at rural hospitals in Attock district, adding such measures must be matched by structural reforms.

“Suspending individuals addresses the symptom but not the disease,” he added.

It may be mentioned that in July this year a newborn girl died after her mother delivered en route to the Jand THQ hospital. Pregnant women and newborns are often neglected due to a lack of ambulance services and absence of an operating theatre at the hospital. The patient was kept at the hospital for over three hours before being referred, resulting in the tragedy near Jand Railway Station.

A medical officer has since been suspended following the probe. There are also longer-standing concerns: a decade-old Mother and Child Healthcare (MCH) centre in Jand remained dysfunctional with staff drawing salaries while the facility lay unattended, forcing villagers to rely on unsafe home-based delivery.

When contacted, the THQ medical superintendent confirmed the suspensions and said all documentary evidence compiled during the inquiry, including signed statements and CCTV footage, had been forwarded to the health authority for further proceedings.

District health officials said they would review the inquiry findings and determine any administrative or criminal steps. They also reiterated the district administration’s stated commitment to improving emergency obstetric care in rural facilities and to implementing corrective measures identified in internal audits.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2025