Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: A brave mum whose two-year-old daughter died after they were hit by a truck has undergone nine hospital operations and is about to give birth to a baby.
In December last year, a truck hit Waheeda Aurangazeb in Ruwi, near Badr Al Samaa hospital, while she was crossing the road with her family.
She was six months pregnant, and was dragged along the street. She was holding her two-year-old daughter, Shohaiba Aurangazeb when the accident occurred.
Waheeda was badly injured in the accident. Her daughter, Shohaiba, died on the spot. Waheeda was rushed to a hospital in Muscat with a broken pelvis and multiple injuries.
Since then, she has been in the hospital, fighting to recover. With the support of expert doctors and strong painkillers, she has gone under the knife nine times, with her unborn baby inside.
Doctors are confident that she will give birth to a healthy baby.
Aurangazeb, Waheeda’s husband who shuttles between the hospital and his tailoring shop every day, and is taking care of their two other children, said: “She is recovering and we are confident the Almighty will take care of the unborn baby.”
“We are confident that she will deliver a healthy baby. However, I am a bit worried about the money. She has been hospitalised for two months, and now, it may take one more month to deliver the baby. Due to her condition, it will not be a normal delivery. With my little earnings, I am worried about paying the bills,” Aurangazeb said. Waheeda is eight months pregnant now.
The accident happened when Waheeda was returning home with her three young children after meeting her relative who had given birth to a baby in Badr Al Samaa.
Though Shohiaba died on spot, Waheeda’s other two children were not injured as they had already crossed the road.
Azra Aleem, former director of the Pakistan Social Club, Oman, who visited Waheeda at the hospital, said on Monday, “She has been having only a liquid diet during her first month in the hospital. Now, she is having solid food. She couldn’t recognise me, but when I told her about myself, she was happy to see me. According to medics, delivery of the baby would be crucial as she had to be administered strong pain killers during the first one month of treatment following the accident.”
Azra helped the grieving family in the burial of the two-year-old Sohaiba. Waheeda’s husband runs his tailoring shop in Wadi Kabir and the family has been residents of Oman for many years. Their home is in Ruwi High Street.
According to Azra, the driver, who is also from Pakistan, is in police custody.
Oman’s government data reveals that accident rate in 2016 dropped, compared to 2015, but the death rate increased, especially among expatriate drivers.
Compared to 6,279 accidents in 2015, the year 2016 witnessed 4,219 traffic accidents, reflecting a drop of 32.8 per cent.
However, compared to 675 people who lost their life in road accidents in 2015, 692 died in such incidents in 2016.
However, the number of those injured fell by 19.2 per cent, from 3,624 in 2015 to 2,929 in 2016.
