KARACHI: A woman, who gave birth to a baby on Wednesday in a private hospital in Karimabad, died after falling down the lift shaft as the lift system malfunctioned and its door got opened but the lift car was not there at the second floor from where she was being taken by the hospital staff to her ward on a stretcher, said police.

Gulberg SHO Ashraf Jogi said that 30-year-old Summaiya Ashraf was brought to ‘Sambros Hospital’ in Block-4, Federal B Area where she gave birth to a baby in the morning.

He said that a hospital staff member was taking her to the gynaecological ward on a stretcher which fell down the lift shaft resulting in her death.

He said the family refused to lodge an FIR against hospital.

The hospital administration reportedly told the media that that the “woman had fallen into the lift shaft and there was no mechanical fault with the lift”.

It said when the door of the lift opened, the lift car had already moved upward and the woman fell down the lift shaft and died.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said the victim’s body was brought to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital at 2.30pm. The relatives took away the body without allowing doctors to fulfil medico-legal formalities, she added.

She said the victim’s husband, Ashar, and her maternal uncle, Shabbir, gave an undertaking that they did not want a post-mortem examination and legal proceeding.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Medical Association’s Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro said that the incident should be investigated by the Sindh Healthcare Commission.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2023