Justice for mother-to-be after she was transferred to the wrong ward for treatment

Image by Irwin Mitchell / SWNS

An inquest has heard that a pregnant mother of three children and her baby passed away two days after she was diagnosed with Covid and transferred to a ward unsuitable for her treatment.

37-year-old Sumera Haq complained of suffering from severe stomach pain and shortness of breath after she contacted the virus and was eight months pregnant with her third child at the time.

The primary school teacher was immediately taken to the Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, east London where she was taken to the labour ward. However, after two days, he was transferred to the medical ward for treatment after her breathing issues worsened.

Haq’s condition worsened due to Covid pneumonitis and she died after suffering from a cardiac arrest two days later. Doctors tried to save her child, Ayra Butt, by performing a caesarean section and resuscitating her, but failed in their attempts to revive the newborn. She was declared dead after 15 minutes of being born.

Kasim Butt, Haq’s husband, recalled last year as “a living nightmare” after losing both his wife and daughter.

At the East London Coroner’s Court on July 14, an inquest concluded that Haq was inappropriately transferred to the medical ward as a result of a lack of clinical leadership which ultimately led to her and her baby’s death.

Her husband, who works as a delivery driver said, “It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the hurt and pain our family feels. The last year has been a living nightmare which I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Sumera was a wonderful wife and the best mum any child could ever want. She went out of her way to help others and her death at an age when she had her best years ahead of her, has been particularly difficult to come to terms with.

Those few days and trying to come to terms with the death of Ayra, whilst Sumera was also slipping away from us is something I’m not sure I’ll ever get over. When I saw Ayra she was beautiful. I just held her and cried my eyes out. I’ll cherish what little but precious time I had with her.”