Nawab Shah (HRNW) — In Nawab Shah, the hometown of President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, First Lady Asifa Bhutto and Provincial Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, SICHN Hospital has become a fortress of “administrative tyranny” and “referral culture,” where a poor child’s treatment depends on a landlord’s phone call. According to journalist Zishan Haider Abro’s latest investigation, on 13 July a one-day-old newborn urgently needed a ventilator, but the hospital administration rejected the case by writing “No Bed.” The grieving father spent the entire night hoping to get a landlord’s call or that the gates of “Zardari House” would open for his child, but amid this referral delay the innocent baby died.
Key findings of the investigation
The investigation revealed that the “death slips” from 30 June to 14 July are only those obtained secretly; according to internal hospital sources, the real picture is that 15% of children die every day simply due to “ICU blocking.” Despite an annual budget of Rs53.07 million (Rs4.4 million per month) for the Nawab Shah ICU, the hospital has been turned into a training ground for “diploma holders” hired through referrals. To show proper statistics, the administration admits only “less sick” children while serious cases are left to die. Parking mafia intimidation and security guards’ “watch” in wards are humiliating poor parents.
Unanswerable questions for the administration
Director Prof Ali Akbar Siyal must answer: will Nawab Shah’s children need “media pressure” or a “landlord’s referral” every time to get a bed? (As happened when a child on 14 July got a bed on 15 July only after the news spread.) The October 2025 assurance by the Chief Ombudsman has proved a false promise even after eight months. Boards in the hospital stating “non-bailable offence” show that the administration fears the camera’s eye because it wants to bury the truth.
Public demands
Public and social circles are demanding an immediate forensic audit of the budget to account for these “secret deaths,” transparent allocation of ICU beds, an end to referral-based hiring, and prevention of humiliation of poor parents. This funeral of humanity in the leadership’s own city is a stain on the rulers’ foreheads.
Human rights and health angle
HRNW stresses that the right to health is a fundamental human right and every citizen must have equal access to quality care. Referral culture, administrative negligence and concealment of child deaths are serious human rights violations. The state must take immediate action, conduct transparent investigations and provide justice to affected families.
Important Note:
This report is based on the journalist’s investigative report, internal hospital sources and statements from public circles. Further details, official audit reports and Health Department actions will be issued through official updates from the relevant authorities.
