‘The hospital decided to scale back her treatment without our consent’

3 August 2020

In August 2019, Dr Rashid Abbasi was arrested by four police officers outside his six-year-old daughter’s hospital room for refusing to leave her side.

The hospital treating his daughter, Zainab, had decided it was in the six-year-old’s best interest to scale back her treatment and let her die.

Dr Abbasi and his wife, Dr Aliya Abbasi speak to Sky News about the hospital’s decision and the police intervention. “We knew that she was not going to live to a normal life expectancy,” explains Dr Rashid. “But it was the hospital that made the decision [to scale back the life-saving treatment],” says Dr Aliya, “because our relationship with the hospital staff had deteriorated so much.”

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the family has now begun legal proceedings against the police for wrongful arrest and are considering legal action against the NHS.

3 August 2020
Sky News

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