IT was very painful to learn about the tragedy in Services Hospital, where a fire broke out in the Nursery Ward, killing seven and critically injuring about 25 newborn babies. What a pity, the innocent were introduced to trauma right on the day they were born. It looks as if there were a lot of negligence observed, the doctors and nurses on duty fled the scene, while outsiders came to the rescue.

I have been informed that a brave man from Dharampura, Lahore, broke a window of the hospital and rescued five children. He also said that a child was picked up from the floor. I salute his courage and highly recommend that he should be rewarded for his brave act.

It really hurts to learn about a couple who got their first child after 10 years of marriage and had to see this tragedy in which their child was killed. I can well understand how parents and relatives must be feeling after this tragedy.

I condemn the negligence shown by the hospital staff and also by the fact that the ward was not equipped to face such accidents. They should be brought to book and made to seek forgiveness of the nation, especially of the aggrieved parents.

I sympathise with parents and relatives who lost their newborn babies and also who are worrying about the survival of their children who were critically injured in the ward.

History seems to have repeated itself. It looks as if Herod and Pharaoh are revisiting us and are out for killing our children too. King Herod ordered the killing of the children in Bethlehem when Jesus was born while Pharaoh ordered all the male
newborn babies to be thrown into the River Nile when Prophet Moses was born.

Today’s Herods and Pharoahs are the negligent staff members who did not do their duty or did not arrange for necessary precautions considering that these children are of common or poor people.

The incident has repeated once again and just as Jesus and Moses escaped unhurt from bad intentions of the kings, I pray that from those who have survived may the Almighty bring forward at least one who will grow up and become a true servant
of God.

FR ABID HABIB
Karachi