Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) has rejected reports that it did not provide medical treatment for a pregnant student because her male guardian was not present.

In a statement, the university also denied claims it had not allowed the woman, who had gone into labor, treatment at the institution’s medical facility.

The IMSIU said the reports were exaggerated, dishonest and lacked balance. It said that the university dealt promptly with the situation by having the woman's baby delivered according to its regulations.

The Saudi student gave birth at the university’s health facility at King Abdullah University for Female Students, which falls under IMSIU, last Sunday while waiting for the arrival of her brother, said Mohammed Saeed Al-Alam, IMSIU’s spokesman.

Al-Alam said the student arrived Sunday morning at the university’s campus in pain. “She was brought to the university's medical services department and found to be eight months pregnant,” Al-Alam said.

He said the university conducted tests and recommended she be moved to Al-Yamamah Hospital with its ambulance, which was standard procedure in such cases and according to Ministry of Health regulations.

“However, the student asked to be transferred to the military hospital where she had a medical file. She insisted on this and said she preferred to wait for her brother. It was exactly 8:30 in the morning,” he said.

The university had not been able to get hold of her husband who works in the Eastern Province. Her brother had been delayed because of his work and traffic congestion on the roads, Al-Alam said.

“At about 11:40, the student went into labor and gave birth to a healthy child under a medical team at the university supervised by consultants comprising specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, a midwife and specialist to assess the condition of the child after birth."

According to Al-Alam, the delivery took nearly 15 minutes and the mother was also healthy. Doctors convinced the student to have the university take her to Al-Yamamah Hospital, where she stayed for three hours and then went home.

He said journalists should ensure their reports are accurate and that they abide by the ethics of their profession.