Baby overdosed at Scots hospital had 10x more paracetamol pumped into tiny body (2025)

Ahad Ul Hassan and Hira Mansoor, from Ayr, have been left "praying for a miracle" after their eight-week-old son Zohan was overdosed at the Royal Hospital for Children.

A baby is fighting for his life after being pumped with 10 times the required amount of paracetamol at a hospital in Glasgow.

First-time parents Ahad Ul Hassan and Hira Mansoor, from Ayr, have been left "praying for a miracle" after their eight-week-old son Zohan was overdosed at the Royal Hospital for Children.

The family have been told the youngster may have irreversible brain damage after he was administered with 200mg of paracetamol instead of the required 20mg. Zohan - who was born seven weeks premature on January 24 - had initially started showing signs of a hernia at six-weeks-old which doctors first operated on at the beginning of March.

His tummy began to swell a week later and he was rushed to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock where medics transferred him via ambulance to the Royal Hospital for Children on March 16. It appeared Zohan had another hernia on his right side and he was to undergo surgery on Tuesday, March 18.

But Ahad then received a call to "leave his work immediately" after his eight-week-old son was overdosed with 10 times the required amount of paracetamol.

The Planning and Scheduling Engineer, 26, told Glasgow Live: "I received a call from the hospital at 12.30am in the afternoon telling me to 'leave work immediately' and that they had overdosed my son on paracetamol.

"When I got there Zohan's heart rate was sky-high, going over 200 beats per minute, he was trying to cry but his voice wouldn't let him. They soon started taking blood samples and an antidote was given to stop the effects of poison.

"He is only 2.3 kilograms, I don't understand how this could have happened. We are devastated but all we can do is pray". The family were then placed into a ward side-room where Zohan was monitored, but it wasn't long until he started to convulse.

After being told "it's normal for newborns to jerk", Ahad decided to film Zohan's next fit on Wednesday, March 19, which when viewed, prompted urgency from medics.

Zohan was transferred to the hospital's paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), where he was ventilated and has been in a level of unconsciousness ever since. Following the overdose, he now has a swelling on the brain with medics currently unable to predict the outcome - saying he may have irreversible brain damage and problems with his vision.

Ahad and wife Hira are "praying for a miracle" and have asked for their community's support while their baby boy "fights for his life". They are currently residing in nearby accommodation provided by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and have been by Zohan's side every minute of every day.

An internal investigation has now been launched, with the young family being "supported" by NHSGGC.

Dr Claire Harrow, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Deputy Medical Director for Acute Services, said: "We would like to sincerely apologise to the family of baby Zohan Ul Hassan.

“We are continuing to deliver the best possible care for Zohan and we continue to offer support to his family at this distressing time. We have launched a full investigation into this incident and his family will be fully informed of and involved in this process as it continues.”