Newborn dies ‘suspiciously’

CEBU, Philippines - A man is now mulling filing a case against the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center after his newborn son died under what he insists were “suspicious” circumstances.

Renjie Torreon, 24, of Upper Sitio Sampaguita, Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City, lodged his complaint before the Banilad Barangay Hall after he suspected something went terribly wrong during the delivery after he saw that the head of his son was barely attached to the body when it was turned-over to him by the hospital Sunday evening.

He said that his family has also coordinated with the Department of Health, Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Social Welfare and Development on the process of lodging a case against the hospital and its staff who were involved in the delivery of the baby last Sunday morning.

Torreon, who works in a Chinese restaurant, said that Saturday evening his seven-month pregnant wife, Antonieta, complained of abdominal pains and he rushed her to the Eversley Hospital and Sanitarium in Barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City, around 11 p.m.

However, they were advised to go to VSMMC as the baby was premature and they had no incubator. They arrived at VSMMC around 3 a.m. Sunday.

He said Antonieta was brought to the delivery room around 5 a.m. but he was never notified that she had already given birth even if he was just waiting outside the delivery room.

He said that the nurses on duty told him to buy food and medicines needed by his wife but there was no mention about the delivery. He also said no doctor informed him about what was happening.

“Diha ra man gyud ko unta sa gawas sa delivery room sa dihang nanganak akong asawa apan, wa man gyu’y nangita ug amahan ug nagpahibawo nako nga nanganak na akong asawa tawgon lang ko ug papaliton og pagkaon ug tambal para sa akong asawa ug wa’y hisgot sa akong anak,” Torreon said.

It was around 6 p.m. when he was told to go to the Information Desk where he was informed that his newborn son had died. He was given a death certificate and told to get the baby’s body at the morgue.

The death certificate places the baby’s time of death at 5:24 a.m. and the cause of death as Intra Uterine Fetal Death secondary to cord accident. This was signed by Dr. Cindivy Rupita on behalf of Dr. Charlene Asuncion Laplana, the attending physician.

He said that he just left his wife at the hospital as they had yet to settle the bills and brought home the baby which had been wrapped in cloth by hospital personnel.

It was only around 10 p.m. last Sunday when he unwrapped the baby and discovered his neck was barely attached to the body of his baby and the head and neck appeared to be “severely injured”.

Upon the advice of relatives and neighbors, he brought the baby to the Cebu Rolling Hills Memorial Chapel for autopsy yesterday morning.

A mother’s pain

Antonieta Torreon, 29, claimed the VSMMC personnel did not fully attend to her when she was about to go into labor.

“Pag-abot nako diri kaanakon na ko ato. Nisulti ko sa ila nga mogawas na ang bata, ila ko gidala sa delivery room ug gipahigda,” she said.

 She said she thought a doctor would soon attend to her but she was left alone at the time.

 “Ako na lang nagtangtang sa akong diaper kay busy man sila. Ni-utong na lang ko og akoa kay kagawason na man gyud. Naglisod na gyud ko ato. Taud-taud naa’y nakakita nga nigawas na akong bata mao gitabang na dayon ko nila,” she added.

 She said that the baby had to be forced out by the doctor.

“Giingnan ko sa doctor nga kinahanglan makuha na daw kay suhi (breach baby) na man siya. Mao to gituyok-tuyok nila, ilang gilubag-lubag ang ulo,” she said.

The birth certificate stated that the baby was delivered at 5:22 a.m.

 Torreon she could not believe it when she was informed that the baby was already dead inside her womb. She added that when they had an ultrasound last Saturday, the baby was still alive.

 She said she felt pity when she saw her baby with a wound in the neck. She added that no one explained to her how her baby was injured. What’s worse, Torreon said, was that she was not given the chance to hold her baby even once.

 “Ang uban gani bisag patay na ilang anak gihatag gihapon sa mama. Kato akoa wala man. Mao nangutana ko sa kauban sa doctor asa gibutang akong anak. Giingnan ko nga gisukod pa mao, wala gihatag sa akoa,” she said.

She also wondered why her husband was not informed about the developments.

 “Wa siya nakahibawo dayon unsa’y nahitabo sa among anak. Wala gyud gisangpit akong bana,” she said.

She added she only cried over her baby after the delivery. She said that if only the hospital staff immediately attended to her when she was about to deliver the baby, her child could have been saved.

She said that she envies her fellow patients in the ward with their babies.

 “Maypa sila buhi ilang anak,” she said. The baby was supposed to be the couple’s first child; they have been married for two years.

 Torreon appealed to VSMMC to properly attend to their patients especially to mothers like her. She added that the hospital could have also carefully explained to her what led to the death of her child. For now, she was not advised yet when she could be discharged from the hospital.

VSMMC media liaison officer Nonoy Mongaya said that they have conducted an initial fact-finding investigation based on media reports. He said when Torreon arrived in their hospital the baby was already in footling breech presentation.

 “Sa among nahibaw-an the patient was referred to us by another hospital. Pag-abot diri katunga na sa lawas ang nigawas. Nag-una na ang tiil,” he said.

 Since her case was emergent, the resident doctor had to extract the baby from her. Mongaya said that upon extraction, Torreon was already informed the cause of the baby’s death was intra-uterine fetal death.

 He said that they have no knowledge yet why the husband was informed late about the death of his child.

He encouraged the father to file an official complaint for the hospital to properly act on the incident. He said that as of yesterday afternoon, the father had yet to approach them.

 He also reminded the public to report complaints to the concerned hospital directly before complaining to the media.

 “Lisod i-act sa allegation based on media reports. Every time naa’y complaint, we act on it. Gipahibawo na nato sila when they come here nga filing a complaint is the right of a patient. But until now, wala pa’y niduol sa amo from the other side,” he said.  —/BRP (FREEMAN)