In an instance of terrible medical incompetence, personnel at a rural health centre in Pakistan’s Sindh province cut the head of a newborn baby and left it inside the mother’s womb, putting the 32-year-old Hindu lady in danger.
The terrible tragedy led the Sindh government to establish a medical inquiry board to investigate the incident and identify the perpetrators.
“The Bheel Hindu woman, who belongs to a far-flung village in Tharparkar district, had first gone to a Rural Health Centre (RHC) in her area but with no female gynaecologist available, the inexperienced staff caused her immense trauma,” said Professor Raheel Sikander, who heads the gynaecology unit of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) in Jamshoro.
In a bungled surgery on Sunday, RHC workers sliced off the unborn baby’s head in the mother’s womb and left it within her, he added.
When the lady found herself in a life-threatening condition, she was brought to a neighbouring hospital in Mithi, where no resources were available to treat her. Her family eventually brought her to LUMHS, where the rest of the newborn’s body was removed from the mother’s womb, saving her life, he added.
According to Sikandar, the baby’s head was stuck within, the mother’s uterus had burst, and doctors needed to open up her abdomen medically and remove the baby’s head to save her life.
The tragic failure caused Sindh Health Services Director General Dr Juman Bahoto to launch separate investigations into the issue.
He stated that the investigation panels will investigate what occurred, particularly the lack of a gynaecologist and female personnel at the RHC in Chachro.
The investigative panels will also examine into accusations that the woman had her video shot while laying on a stretcher.
“Apparently, some members of the staff took her photos on a mobile phone in the gynaecology ward and shared those pictures with different WhatsApp groups,” Juman added.
