WHILE having a baby is generally a moment of joy for any family, going through the process of medical supervision as well as interacting with healthcare providers may well be a nightmare in Pakistan. I would like to share my experience to give people some idea about what to focus on when going through such a critical phase.

It was the fifth month of pregnancy when we were advised to go for an anomaly scan/ultrasound of our baby in order to make sure that the foetus was all okay and that all the organs were properly functioning. An anomaly ultrasound is completely different form a routine scan, and, therefore, needs an experienced professional.

We went to Sukkur because there was a sonologist who was believed to have a degree from the United States. At least the pamphlet pasted inside his clinic said so.

I felt the ground shifting under my feet when the sonologist, after conducting the scan, called me inside his chamber and told me that the baby’s kidneys were not functioning properly. He even advised us to consider terminating the pregnancy as the baby post-birth could struggle to survive.

Over the next couple of weeks, we approached more than a few doctors and they all gave us the same advice on the basis of the scan report. Undoubtedly, those were moments of utter depression for the family.

Fortunately, I met a nephrologist in my own neighbourhood who went through the report and concluded that it was the son-ologist’s inexperience and incompetence that had led him to draw the wrong conc-lusions that he had drawn from the scan.

There was nothing to worry about, he assured us. However, for further satisfa-ction, we went to another prominent sonologist for a fresh scan. We got a clean bill of health, and the professional assured us that the earlier report was nothing but a case of serious misdiagnosis.

In due course, a healthy baby boy graced our lives. People should never rely on a single professional. Indeed, taking a second opinion is everyone’s right, and we must exercise it as this can save one both crucial time and undue effort.

Rawal Jamal
Jacobabad

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024