Abandoned at Birth, Baby ‘Ali’ Dies in PIMS Nursery Tragedy
Hospital staff reportedly fed, clothed and cared for the two-month-old boy after he was left behind following his birth; doctors had named him “Ali” and were seeking a path towards adoption before the August 26 nursery incident.
ISLAMABAD: Amid the grief surrounding the deaths of 14 infants in the August 26 incident at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the story of one two-month-old boy has emerged as an especially poignant dimension of the tragedy: hospital staff knew him as “Ali”, but official records reportedly identified him only as “baby of H”.
Baby Born at PIMS and Left Behind
According to a report published by Dawn on Friday, the infant had been born at PIMS on June 21 and remained at the hospital after his family left him behind. A doctor quoted by the newspaper said the child’s mother appeared to be around 15 years old and did not provide identification or marriage-related documents requested by hospital staff. She and those accompanying her subsequently left the hospital without the baby, according to the report.
Case Referred for Medico-Legal Follow-Up
The matter was reportedly referred for medico-legal follow-up and Karachi Company Police was informed. The infant remained under the hospital administration’s care rather than being released to the family, the report said.
PIMS Staff Became His Caregivers
During the next two months, doctors and nurses effectively became the child’s caregivers. Staff members reportedly pooled money to provide him with food and clothes, while efforts were being made to arrange adoption. Although the hospital’s documentation referred to him as “baby of H”, staff gave him the name “Ali”.
Doctors Raised Concerns Over His Prolonged Hospital Stay
Doctors had also raised concerns about the consequences of the infant spending an extended period inside a hospital environment among sick children, including infection risks and the absence of family care considered important for a child’s development.
Before the August 26 incident, then-federal health secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri had reportedly told Dawn that he would examine the case and attempt to trace the child’s parents. Those efforts, however, had not resulted in the child’s reunification with his family before the nursery tragedy.
‘Ali’ Was Among the 14 Infants Who Died
The boy was among the 14 infants who lost their lives in the PIMS nursery incident. His remains were still at the hospital mortuary when Dawn published its August 28 report, with a doctor saying they could only be released to legal heirs.
PIMS Tragedy Under Multiple Investigations
The broader PIMS incident has triggered multiple investigations and widespread demands for accountability. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an inquiry and removed the federal health secretary following the tragedy, while investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the nursery incident and the hospital’s safety and emergency arrangements.
Questions Remain Over Infant’s Unresolved Family Status
Ali’s case also raises a separate question beyond the investigation itself: how an infant could remain without a permanent family arrangement for approximately two months despite the involvement of the hospital and relevant authorities.
Source attribution: Details concerning Ali’s birth, abandonment, hospital care and the status of his remains are based primarily on reporting by Dawn correspondent Ikram Junaidi, including accounts attributed to PIMS doctors.
