“There Was No Child”: Expecting mother receives shocking news at Hospital

KARACHI: A family in Karachi has alleged that an expecting woman was informed after undergoing a Caesarean section at a hospital in Nazimabad that there was no baby and only gas.

Speaking to Dialogue Pakistan, the woman’s husband, Rashid Iqbal, alleged that his wife had been receiving regular check-ups at the same hospital for approximately eight months.

According to Iqbal, on 27 August, the family was informed that it was the day of the delivery and that the woman’s vital signs and other necessary checks were conducted at the hospital. He alleged that Dr Anjum Ara personally examined the patient before the procedure.

Iqbal further claimed that the doctor initially denied that the woman had previously visited the hospital. However, he said that police later reviewed CCTV footage, which, according to him, showed that the woman had visited the hospital regularly over the preceding months.

The husband also alleged that, following the procedure, the doctor asked him to see for himself whether there was a baby in his wife’s abdomen. He claimed that a confrontation subsequently took place inside the hospital and alleged that the medical file containing records from the previous eight months was torn up and replaced with a new file.

According to Iqbal, he repeatedly asked the doctor to disclose the truth about the whereabouts of the baby, but was allegedly told that there was no child and that the condition was due to gas.

Meanwhile, a video statement attributed to Dr Anjum Ara has also circulated on social media. In the video, the doctor disputed the family’s account and claimed that she had only seen the woman in February, when an ultrasound was conducted and did not indicate a pregnancy.

The doctor further alleged that the woman presented fake medical reports and maintained that she had not been under her regular consultation. She also claimed that subsequent medical tests and reports did not indicate a pregnancy.

Dialogue Pakistan has spoken to the family regarding the allegations. Further verification of the medical records, CCTV footage and the accounts of all parties is required to establish the facts of the case.