A NEWBORN baby is fighting for his life after being overdosed by medics at a hospital in Glasgow.
Heartbroken parents Ahad Ul Hassan and Hira Mansoor have had their “lives turned upside down” after their little boy Zohan was given ten times more paracetamol than he should have by medical staff.
Baby Zohan was given the wrong dosage of medication by hospital staff[/caption]
Parents Ahad Ul Hassan and Hira Mansoor are now ‘praying for a miracle’[/caption]
The incident happened at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow[/caption]
The tot, who is just eight weeks old, was accidentally given the super-high dosage after he was admitted to the Royal Hospital for Children for surgery to repair a hernia last week.
Zohan was born seven weeks premature when Hira, 27, underwent an emergency c-section on January 24.
But he started showing signs of a hernia at just six weeks old and doctors operated on him to fix it at the beginning of March.
The first-time parents, from Ayr, then noticed that Zohan’s stomach had begun to swell a week later on March 16 and they took him to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock.
Doctors revealed that Zohan appeared to have developed another hernia on his right side and he was blue-lighted to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.
The youngster was scheduled to have another operation to fix it on March 18.
It’s heartbreaking – it’s just a horrible thing to go through with our baby
But dad Ahad, 26, got a phone call telling him to “leave his work immediately” and come to the hospital after his son had been overdosed on medication.
He was told that medical staff gave his son 200mg of paracetamol instead of the required 20mg.
Ahad explained that when he arrived at the hospital his son’s heart rate skyrocketed to 200 beats per minute and was struggling to cry.
Doctors quickly began taking samples of Zohan’s blood and gave him an antidote to stop the effects of the poison.
But the heartbroken dad said he “doesn’t know how this could happen” to his baby, who weighed just 5lbs.
After he was overdosed, little Zohan began to convulse and the worried dad filmed his son’s next fit the following day.
When hospital staff watched the clip, the tot was quickly moved to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and was put on a ventilator.
Zohan has been on life support in a level of unconsciousness ever since and suffered a swelling on the brain after being poisoned.
Doctors have said they are currently unable to predict the outcome and explained that Zohan might now have irreversible brain damage or problems with his vision.
It’s shocking, it’s turned our lives upside down. We just wanted to go home after a straightforward surgery… We’re just praying he gets better
Ahad told the Scottish Sun that their lives have been “turned upside down” and they are now “praying for a miracle”.
The couple are currently staying in accommodation near the hospital and have been by Zohan’s side every single day.
The devastated dad said: “It’s heartbreaking – it’s just a horrible thing to go through with our baby. A young doctor did this.
“Yesterday me and my wife spoke to the director of the hospital and he said the hospital doesn’t want to name names but they are taking accountability for what happened.
“It’s shocking, it’s turned our lives upside down. We just wanted to go home after a straightforward surgery. We didn’t want any of this.
What is poisoning and what are the signs/symptoms?
THE NHS has described poisoning as when a person is exposed to a substance that can damage their health or endanger their life.
This includes when a child is overdosed on medication.
The NHS says: “Most cases of poisoning happen at home, and children under 5 have the highest risk of accidental poisoning.”
Signs and symptoms of poisoning
The symptoms of poisoning will depend on the type of poison and the amount taken in, but general things to look out for include:
- being sick
- stomach pains
- confusion
- drowsiness and fainting fits
If a child suddenly develops these symptoms, they may have been poisoned, particularly if they’re drowsy and confused
“We’re just praying he gets better.
“It’s been almost a week we still don’t know what’s going to happen and doctors also don’t know – they’re trying to wake him up and see how reacts.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) have now launched an investigation into the incident and apologised to Ahad, Hira and their family.
NHSGCC provided the young family with their current accommodation and said they are supporting them in every way they can.
Dr Claire Harrow, NHSGGC Deputy Medical Director for Acute Services, told the Scottish Sun: “We would like to sincerely apologise to the family of baby Zohan Ul Hassan.
“We are continuing to deliver the best possible care for Zohan and we continue to offer support to his family at this distressing time.
“We have launched a full investigation into this incident and his family will be fully informed of and involved in this process as it continues.”
