Boy Dies After Alleged Treatment Denial at Maroof Hospital: Lawmakers Decry Negligence, Dismiss Hospital’s “Excuses”

Boy Dies After Alleged Treatment Denial at Maroof Hospital: Lawmakers Decry Negligence, Dismiss Hospital’s “Excuses”
  

Nadeem Tanoli

Islamabad — A 13-year-old boy suffering from a life-threatening abdominal condition died on the way to a public hospital after allegedly being denied treatment at Maroof International Hospital due to his family’s inability to pay. The heartbreaking case, described as “criminal negligence” by lawmakers, formed the emotional and explosive opening to a recent meeting of the National Assembly’s Sub-Committee on Health.

The boy’s CT scan had confirmed peritonitis and intestinal perforation — a medical emergency. Yet, instead of being stabilized and treated, Maroof staff reportedly asked the family to leave and go to a public facility, saying they couldn’t proceed without payment. The child died in transit.

An earlier inquiry had called this “mal-administration” and fined the hospital Rs. 4 lakhs. But Dr. Amjad Ali Khan, the committee convener, was unequivocal in his outrage. “This was not mismanagement,” he said. “This was medical negligence — a criminal act.” He demanded to know how officials would react if it had been their own child.

The committee had already directed the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) to re-open the case. But in a move that infuriated the panel, IHRA’s representative claimed the case was now “time-barred.” Lawmakers were appalled. Dr. Amjad accused IHRA of being “non-serious” and hiding behind paperwork to avoid accountability. The committee has now formally recommended a re-inquiry.

Adding to the pattern of concern, MNA Dr. Zahra Wadood Fatemi shared a personal account of near-negligence involving her husband at Maroof. An asthma patient, he was about to receive an IV injection without any prior testing. “He was shivering, saying he couldn’t see clearly,” she said. “I stepped in just in time.” The attending doctor later admitted they should have checked first. For Dr. Zahra, the near-miss was chilling — especially because her brother-in-law had previously died in another hospital under similar circumstances. “I knew the signs. I stopped it before it happened again,” she said.

Instead of addressing the specifics, Maroof’s CEO, Haroon Saeed, offered a general defense that struck many as tone-deaf. He described the hospital as a “side business” for his family, calling it their “least profitable” and a “headache.” While trying to push back against the image of private hospitals “printing money,” his remarks appeared dismissive in the context of a child’s death and a series of complaints. He asked the committee to consider systemic issues and not just blame individual hospitals. But lawmakers insisted that systemic failure does not excuse personal tragedy — especially when it is avoidable.

Mr. Saeed expressed a willingness to collaborate with IHRA and the health committee, proposing the formation of a pricing committee that includes private hospitals. He said this could improve transparency and help justify hospital costs. However, the lawmakers made it clear that collaboration cannot come at the cost of delayed accountability.

In an attempt to shift focus, Saeed also shared a story about taking his own injured relative to Shifa Hospital, where he received specialized surgery not available at Maroof at the time. But the committee was not interested in success stories from elsewhere — especially not while a grieving family was still waiting for justice.

Maroof’s leadership tried to frame the challenges of private healthcare as complex and burdensome. But the committee’s position was clear: no complexity justifies abandoning a child or endangering a patient. Lawmakers are now pressing forward with demands for a full re-investigation, stricter clinical audits, and stronger penalties for hospitals that fail to act in life-or-death moments.