Private hospital sells newborn baby to settle medical bills

KARACHI: A shocking incident has emerged in Karachi’s Memon Goth area, where a newborn was allegedly sold by a private hospital for unpaid medical bills.

According to the police, the hospital administration sold the infant under the pretext of settling delivery expenses.

SSP Malir Abdul Khaliq Pirzada said a case was registered on the complaint of the father of the child, and the police recovered the newborn successfully.

The hospital where the infant was born has been sealed, and the two suspects, Dr. Zahra and a woman named Shama Baloch, are yet to be apprehended.

Investigations had revealed that Shama Baloch was a hospital employee and had sold the newborn in Punjab in coordination with Dr. Zahra.

The FIR quotes Dr. Zahra as telling the baby’s mother that if she could not pay the hospital expenses, she knew a woman who “helps the poor and raises their children” and would bear the costs.

Thereafter, Shama deposited the amount required, and after the delivery, the hospital handed over the newborn to her. She disappeared with the child.

The police said that raids were underway to arrest the suspects, adding that a full investigation into the incident was underway.