Nazimabad hospital incident: Police say no evidence of pregnancy, allege woman faked it

• Police say woman submitted forged ultrasound report.
• Hospital’s criminal negligence emerges during probe.
• Staff admitted woman without necessary tests: police.

KARACHI: The mystery surrounding the alleged disappearance of a newborn at a private hospital in Nazimabad has been resolved, with police saying the woman had faked her pregnancy out of fear of social pressure over being childless.

The incident emerged after the woman, identified as Zubia, wife of Rashid, was brought to the private hospital for delivery. However, hospital staff discovered during the procedure that there was no baby.

The development triggered protests by the woman’s family, who allegedly vandalised parts of the hospital following the incident.

Police said the woman had registered herself at the hospital’s gynaecology ward and submitted a fabricated ultrasound report, police said.

The woman had been distressed over not having a child after marriage after suffering a miscarriage about a year earlier, they added.

According to police, Zubia began presenting herself as pregnant, fearing taunts from her family over being childless.

Police said the woman had an ultrasound made part of her file through alleged forgery, and arrived at the hospital on August 27 after completing 38 weeks.

However, a later report by the hospital administration said that the woman’s February 16 ultrasound report had not confirmed a pregnancy.

She arrived at the hospital on August 27 carrying an ultrasound report dated August 8, they added.

They alleged that the report contained forged signatures of a doctor and a forged hospital stamp.

According to hospital administration, the woman’s condition was unstable, and she was experiencing pain, prompting doctors to decide on an immediate operation.

Meanwhile, police alleged that hospital staff admitted the woman without conducting the necessary tests, describing the development as criminal negligence. The woman remained admitted for eight hours and was given medicines, police said.

Police said that all evidence had been collected and the woman had also undergone a medical examination. During questioning, the woman admitted to having lied about being pregnant to avoid taunts over being childless.

SSP Central Dr Imran Khan said the hospital’s criminal negligence had also emerged during the investigation.

Separately, Sindh Healthcare Commission Chief Executive Officer Dr Ahsan Qavi said the commission had the authority to act on complaints against hospitals.

“Police can only register an FIR; conducting medical investigations is not the police’s authority,” he told Geo News over the phone.

He said that a clinical audit was being conducted and urged relevant institutions to refer the case to the Sindh Healthcare Commission, which would investigate the complaint and determine the facts.

According to Dr Qavi, a hospital could not be shut down at someone’s request, adding that he had received phone calls demanding that the hospital be sealed.