'Highly insensitive': Grieving parents slam hospital staff for laughing as son’s life support turned off
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND: The devastated parents of a five-year-old boy have filed a formal complaint, alleging they heard hospital staff laughing as the life support system of their dying son was switched off. Muhammad Ayaan Haroon reportedly died on Monday, March 13 after years of battling with a rare genetic disorder known as Hace 1.
Ayaan’s father, Haroon Rashid, claimed he was forced to bid last farewell to his son while the medical staff, who had treated him, stood behind a curtain and laughed in the same room at Sheffield Children's Hospital. The devastated father filed a formal complaint against the staff after a relative had to request them to show respect after doctors turned off Ayaan’s life support system. Sheffield Children's Hospital administrators have promised a "thorough" investigation into the family's allegations, according to DailyMail.
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Haroon revealed Ayaan had a history of respiratory illness, as well as the rare genetic disorder known as Hace 1, which resulted in developmental delays. The 5-year-old was admitted to the hospital on March 5 after he experienced some breathing problems. While in hospital, his condition deteriorated and he was placed on a ventilator. But when Ayaan made no signs of revival, doctors turned off his ventilator and he died on March 13. Remembering his son, Haroon, a father of four, said, "We don't know how we will live without him now our son is gone. When the machine was switched off at 2.30 am we had a lot of family members there. There was laughter coming from staff members. We were so upset."
'They continued laughing after my relative asked them to stop'
"There was no one else on the ward apart from staff and one other small child behind the curtain from us." He continued, "Surely the staff knew Ayaan's machine was about to be turned off. They continued laughing after my relative asked them to stop. A child's life was coming to an end. It was highly insensitive. We are living with our son's loss but we are very, very angry about the way staff behaved."
Now, Rashid and his wife Fakhra Dibi, 45, have also demanded an investigation into Ayaan’s treatment at the hospital. In their 10-page complaint, Rashid, who works as a taxi driver, described another incident where the hospital staff laughed while his wife was informed them that Ayaan's condition was worsening a few days before he died. "My wife rang me crying after the doctor broke the news," said Rashid, whose daughters are 20, 16 and 12.
'My son was shown no compassion'
"They told her out there in the ward, with nurses who were laughing in the background. They should have taken her to a private room, not told her like that in front of everyone. It's hugely insensitive," he continued.
Ayaan’s death came just days after Rashid experienced a 'dismissive' attitude to care concerns he raised about his son. "My son was shown no compassion, no dignity, no respect, and no humanity. I want to highlight the hospital's failings to you so no other child suffers like my son," the father noted.
Rashid claims that he was prevented from giving his child a nebulizer and using suction to clear mucus from his chest when his son was unable to cough up the fluid on his own. The staff refused to do it despite Haroon saying it was necessary, and they had to be reminded after the procedure became part of Ayaan's treatment plan. Rashid further claimed that the staff delayed sending samples to identify his son's chest infection, which reduced his fighting chances.