No money to bury dead newborn!

The authorities of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital found an unclaimed dead baby in the nursery on Friday evening. The case was reported to the police. Khurram Mazhar and his wife Humaira, residents of Mulismabad, had a baby in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Wednesday. The baby was under-weight and had little chances of survival. It was brought back and readmitted in the hospital on account of poor health. On Friday evening, when the baby was declared dead by the doctors, Khurram left the baby in the hospital and fled without informing any of the medics. As soon as the hospital staff took notice of the unattended expired baby in the nursery, they informed the police. After 24 hours, the infant’s parents were traced out and brought back to the hospital, but upon reaching the hospital they refused to take the body saying they had no money to bury the infant.
“We did not have enough money to get done with the funeral proceedings, so I thought it was better if the hospital administration did everything on their own”, said Mazhar. “I dont know why the police have brought me back here? To humiliate me? As the parents refused to take the baby, some policemen and by-standers started collecting money for the burial on the spot. The baby was finally accepted by the parents along with the money pooled-in for the funeral. Afterwards the infant was taken back home and buried in Muslimabad on Saturday evening. While talking to Pakistan Today, Mazhar said he worked as a carpenter on daily wages and already had 4 children who were young and dependent. “I am going through a terribly weak financial phase and do not even have enough money to travel back and forth from my house to the hospital, how can you expect any thing greater?” he added. He said the dead baby was no good for him and it would have only cost money to complete the burial proceedings which he did not afford, “so the only option I had was to flee,” he added.