مرگ ملیکا، دختر ۱۳ ساله بلوچ پس از عقرب‌گزیدگی

Shiwar News – In the early hours of Thursday, 13 August 2026, 13-year-old Baloch girl Malika Hemmatzadeh, from Desk village in Bent District, Nikshahr County, died at Nikshahr Hospital following a scorpion sting, after delays in her transfer and treatment.

According to Malika’s family, she was stung by a scorpion at around 3 a.m. The family initially sought medical assistance at the comprehensive health centre in their village, but the facility was closed due to the absence of a doctor, forcing them to take her to the medical centre in Bent.

Malika received treatment in Bent, but as her condition worsened, her family requested an ambulance to transfer her to Nikshahr Hospital. According to Malika’s father, they were told that no ambulance was available, leaving the family to transport the child by private car over a distance of approximately 75 kilometres to Nikshahr.

The family arrived at Nikshahr Hospital at around 3:30 p.m. According to Malika’s father, they were told at the hospital that blood platelets were required for her continued treatment, but Nikshahr Hospital did not have the necessary platelets available.

Efforts were initially made to obtain platelets from Chabahar, but the family was informed that they were unavailable there as well. Arrangements were then made to obtain them from Iranshahr. According to Malika’s father, the family was told that the platelets would arrive at the hospital within one to two hours, but after approximately five hours, and by around 10 p.m., the required blood product had still not arrived.

Malika’s father also says that during this period, no treatment other than intravenous fluids was provided to his daughter. Late that night, Malika suffered seizures and ultimately died from complications caused by the scorpion venom.

The death of this 13-year-old child once again raises serious questions about access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas of Balochistan — from the absence of a doctor at the village health centre and the lack of an ambulance to transfer a critically ill patient, to shortages of essential blood products at the district hospital.

In cases such as scorpion stings, where timely access to specialised medical care can be critical, such shortages and delays can cost lives.

Malika was only 13 years old. The question remains: if a doctor, an ambulance and essential medical resources had been available in time, would she still be alive today?