London: Muhammad Ayaan, 5, died on March 15 in Sheffield Children's Hospital, and his parents claim they overheard medical staff laughing as his life support system was turned off.

The Independent reported on Wednesday that Ayaan had a history of respiratory issues as well as a rare genetic condition that causes developmental delays. With breathing problems, he was hospitalised on March 5 and passed away just over a week later.

We had a large family present when the machine was turned off at 2:30 a.m. Laughter could be heard coming from the staff. The father of Ayaan, Haroon Rashid, told The Independent, "We were so upset.

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The only other people on the ward were the staff and a young child who was hiding from us behind a curtain, he continued.

The staff must have known that Ayaan's machine was about to shut off. After my relative asked them to stop, they kept laughing.

"The life of a child was about to end. It was incredibly offensive. We are dealing with the loss of our son, but the staff's behaviour has us furious.

According to The Independent, Ayaan's mother Fakhra Dibi also spoke about a similar incident when she learned that her son's health was declining a few days before he passed away.

Dibi alleges that the staff was laughing as they broke the news to her in front of kids and other parents. After the doctor broke the news, my wife called me in tears, Rashid said. "Instead of telling her that in front of everyone, they ought to have taken her to a private room. It's incredibly insensitive, he continued.

The father of four and taxi driver Rashid has filed a formal complaint that also makes claims about the quality of care provided to Ayaan while he was in the hospital. It also asserts that he was contacted for a follow-up appointment for his son 10 days after he passed away.

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According to The Independent, the 41-year-old also asserts that hospital staff members were "dismissive" of some of the concerns he raised about his son while under their care.

"Something went wrong every day when my son was being treated. They disregarded my years of expertise in raising my children, he claimed.

Although I'm not a doctor, I am aware of my son's past. I was aware of the treatment my son required from the beginning based on prior experience, but no one paid attention to me.

Rashid emphasised that his son's prior care as an outpatient at Sheffield Children's Hospital had been flawless, and that his consultants had helped the family every step of the way.

We don't know how we will survive without him now that our son is gone, Rashid said.

We are concerned about his whereabouts. We don't want another family or child to experience this. The hospital has assured the family that its claims will be looked into "thoroughly."

The Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust's medical director, Dr. Jeff Perring, expressed his condolences to Ayaan's family for their loss to The Independent.

Any child's death is tragic, and I am confident that my coworkers who cared for and got to know Ayaan during his brief life will join me in expressing my condolences.

We take seriously any child who passes away while receiving treatment at Sheffield Children's. Our colleagues take great pride in giving all children and young people who require it the best clinical and pastoral care possible.

"We have received Rashid's complex and voluminous complaint.

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"There will be a thorough internal investigation covering the issues raised in Mr. Rashid's complaint regarding the care and treatment Ayaan received at the hospital between March 5 and March 13."