Rat attack on Pakistani baby causes revulsion

Islamabad, Nov 30 (IANS) The attack by rats on a day-old baby in a Pakistani hospital has caused outrage, with a leading newspaper blasting the authorities over poor hygiene in medical establishments.

The baby was bitten on the lips, cheeks, nose and fingers at the Holy Family Hospital’s gynaecology ward in Rawalpindi, adjoining the Pakistani capital.

The Dawn newspaper Friday said it was “sheer luck” that saved the baby, and lamented that the official response to the “scary incident has been predictable”.

An inquiry committee has been set up. Senior hospital officials were suspended.

“Rodents and cats are said to be frequently spotted at the facility, yet it is not the only (hospital) in the country where animals and pests compromise the high sanitary standards expected at a hospital,” the Dawn said.

If this was the condition of a hospital in a major city like Rawalpindi, “one can only imagine the state of rural health units”, it said.

Media reports say overcrowding, outsourcing sanitation work to private contractors, poor salaries and long hours of work have led to the filth in some Pakistani hospitals.

IANS 2012-11-30 13:54:05