An initial inquiry by Services Hospital into the disputed maternity case at a private hospital in Karachi’s Nazimabad has found that the woman at the centre of the controversy was not pregnant when she was admitted, while an ultrasound report presented by her was allegedly fabricated.
According to the preliminary findings, doctors and hospital administrators proceeded with a caesarean section after relying on the ultrasound report without independently verifying its authenticity. Sources said the woman remained admitted at the hospital for around six to seven hours during the episode.
The report also noted that the woman had suffered a pregnancy loss the previous year. Meanwhile, police have separately completed their investigation into the case and recorded the woman’s statement.
According to police findings, the woman told investigators that she was not pregnant and had arranged fake ultrasound reports to show otherwise. She reportedly said that she was under pressure from her husband and in-laws to be pregnant, which led her to take this step.
Dr Anjum Ara Hasan, head of the private hospital’s gynaecology ward, also maintained that the woman was not pregnant. She said the patient first visited the hospital in February, when an ultrasound did not confirm a pregnancy.
Dr Hasan further said that some documents in the woman’s medical file appeared suspicious and that an ultrasound report allegedly issued by another hospital was also found to be fake. According to her, the on-duty doctor proceeded with the operation after the woman arrived for emergency treatment, relying on the same report, but subsequent medical tests showed that she was not pregnant.
The controversy began after a Karachi resident alleged that his newborn child had gone missing from the private hospital following his wife’s delivery. The man claimed that he had complete ultrasound records showing the pregnancy, including a report from the 38th week, and questioned how the doctors could later deny that his wife had been pregnant.
However, the preliminary medical findings and police investigation have rejected the claim that a newborn went missing from the hospital. Officials said that no formal complaint had been submitted by the woman or her family against the hospital administration at the time of the police findings. They added that if a formal complaint is filed, legal action will be taken in accordance with the law.
The case has attracted significant attention on social media, with the conflicting claims prompting questions about the alleged fake medical documents, the decision to perform the surgery and the circumstances that led to the incident. Further legal or administrative action will depend on any formal complaint and the evidence available to the relevant authorities.
