CHR probes death of woman delivering her baby in clinic

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights in Negros Oriental will be conducting an investigation on the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman after delivering her second baby at the lying-in clinic of Manjuyod town last November 21.

CHR lone special investigator for Negros Oriental, Jess Cañete, said he received a complaint filed by Nishel Geroquia, a resident of Barangay Alangilanan in Manjuyod, sister of Nerissa Cordova who died after giving birth at the Manjuyod Health Center.

Geroquia sought the assistance of the CHR in relation to the death of her sister, who she alleged died of perceived negligence and identified the respondents of her complaint as Ludy Abordo, the midwife, and Jean Go, the nursing assistant, and Manjuyod town Mayor Felix Sy.

Geroquia, in her affidavit, stated that around 1 p.m. on November 20, her sister started to have labor pains and was brought to the health center where she was first attended to by a certain Lydia. About 8 p.m. of the same day, Abordo took over the duties.

Geroquia narrated to Cañete and in her affidavit that at around 8 a.m. the following day, her sister was about to give birth and Abordo allegedly asked her to step out of the delivery room of the health center. Thereafter, Abordo handed over the newborn baby girl to Geroquia. The midwife later left the center as she was already off-duty.

Nerissa's husband, Henry Cordova Jr., and Geroquia were surprised however when the baby was brought out of the room with plenty of blood on the body, and Abordo allegedly asked for cellophanes several times, then instructed Henry to wash the blood off the baby.

According to the complainant, Abordo allegedly came out of the delivery room with Cordova's belongings and inserted P300 in her blouse's side pocket then gave thanks for the assistance given to Nerissa.

However, when Geroquia went inside the delivery room, Nerissa was so pale and very weak. The reliever-midwife a certain Maritess showed the complainant what happened to her sister's vagina, which opening was noted to have widened unusually and seemed to be an inverted flab.

The complainant noticed that the opening of the vagina had widened and there seemed to be an inverted flab which she believes was very unusual. Thereafter, Maritess referred the patient to the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital.

Geroquia said a request for an ambulance was made with the approval of Mayor Sy to transfer the patient to the NOPH around 11 a.m. that day. Doctors at the hospital immediately attended to Nerissa, who however died two hours after.

According to Geroquia, one of the doctors at the NOPH told her that her sister was already in distress while in transit to Dumaguete City and that she died of an inverted uterus, possibly caused by a "forceful" delivery of the baby.

Canete clarified however that all these were still allegations and the statements of the complainant be verified first while getting the respondents' counter affidavits.

Cañete said the death certificate, signed by Dr. Crystal Anne Centeno showed the causes of death were multi-organ failure, uterine inversion and hypotensive shock.