Amal Umer's parents submit plea to SHC, claiming fine against hospital

The parents of the deceased Amal Umer submitted a petition against the National Medical Centre on Wednesday, claiming a fine based on the hospital's alleged medical negligence which led to the minor's death.

The parents submitted the petition to the Sindh High Court today, in which the provincial government and police were nominated.

In the claim, the parents of the minor said that Amal passed away due to a bullet fired by a policeman.

The plea said that the NMC failed to provide immediate first aid to the wounded child when it was brought to the medical centre.

Last year, a conflicting report relating to the death of Amal surfaced the NMC was held responsible for her death. However, a concluding note from the commission's chairperson stated otherwise.

The report was prepared by an officer of the health care commission, who held the NMC responsible for the child's death. However, the commission's chairperson, Nargis Ghullu, did not hold the NMC responsible for negligence in treating Amal.

Amal’s death

On August 13, 10-year-old Amal Umer lost her life after being hit by a stray bullet during a police encounter in Karachi’s Akhtar Colony area.

The bullet that hit Amal was from an AK-47 and was fired by a policeman attempting to kill a bandit, who had robbed the 10-year-old's family a few minutes earlier as they waited at a traffic light to attend a concert on the eve of Independence Day.

"We were travelling from Korangi Road towards FTC when a man approached us at the signal and asked us to hand over everything," Amal’s father, Umer, recalled while speaking on Geo Pakistan.

“There was a lot of traffic at the signal at the time. The man took my wife’s phone and bag and then told us to roll up the windows and left,” he continued. "As soon as I started the car, we heard a gunshot and a bullet suddenly hit our windshield."

Naturally, Umer and his wife, Beenish, turned back to check up on their two daughters sitting in the backseat, who they had asked to lie down when they heard the gunshots.

"When I turned, I saw Amal lying in a pool of blood and my other daughter clutching my seat," Umer said.

Panicked, Umer tried to rush to nearby NMC. Luckily, they reached the hospital in three to five minutes. But, according to Umer, instead of being given immediate treatment, the hospital staff intubated Amal and attached an ambu bag and asked them to take her to Jinnah hospital as she "did not have much time” and this was a medico-legal case.

But the hospital initially did not even help them arrange an ambulance, Beenish said.

After much insistence, someone from the hospital called the Aman Foundation, who refused to send an ambulance till "arrangements were made" at Jinnah Hospital, she further said. "When we asked if we could take the ambu bag along, the NMC staff refused."

By the time an ambulance reached them and they took their daughter to Jinnah Hospital it was too late. Amal had lost the battle for her life by then.