- Private Quetta center swapped newborn.
- Parents horrified finding a girl.
- Police arrest staff, probe initiated.
The joy of becoming new parents turned into a harrowing ordeal for Nizamuddin and his family in Quetta, Balochistan, after staff at a private baby care center allegedly attempted to switch their newborn son with a female infant. This shocking case has triggered a major investigation into the standards and ethics of private healthcare facilities across the province.
According to Nizamuddin, as reported by BBC Urdu, his wife gave birth to a son on January 3rd. Due to the infant’s fragility, doctors at Civil Hospital Quetta recommended he be placed in an incubator. When the hospital’s specialized unit lacked capacity, the child was moved to a private baby care center situated on Jinnah Road. The center initially began treatment, and the child’s condition reportedly improved.
The nightmare began when the family was called to retrieve their child. Nizamuddin, accompanied by his mother, arrived at the center only to be offered a baby girl instead of their son. This apparent switch immediately raised alarms and caused extreme distress to the family.
Nizamuddin further alleges that the clinic staff attempted to cover up the attempted substitution by manipulating official records. Documents provided to the family allegedly show that the gender entry, originally marked ‘M’ for male, had been manually changed to ‘F’ for female. Furthermore, despite persistent demands and protests from the parents, the baby care center staff refused to show them the facility’s CCTV footage, leading Nizamuddin to suspect the footage was deliberately erased or hidden.
The seriousness of the allegations grew when Nizamuddin’s older brother, Asaluddin, claimed they encountered other individuals at the center, reportedly Sindhi speakers, who alleged that the clinic had handed them a dead child two days prior, claiming that child was also not theirs.
In response to the criminal complaint filed at City Police Station, DSP Anwar Ali confirmed that two staff members of the baby care center have been arrested and are currently undergoing interrogation.
Taking swift action on the gravity of the matter, Balochistan Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar announced that the government has taken notice and ordered the Healthcare Commission to conduct a full, merit-based investigation. The Commission has been mandated to submit a complete report within 24 hours. The Minister vowed that no injustice would be tolerated and severe action would be taken against any elements found engaging in unlawful practices. Crucially, the authorities have assured the family that DNA testing will be conducted on Thursday to conclusively establish the identity of the child and ensure justice is served.