Almost 100 years old, the Cebu Puericulture Center and Maternity House Inc. has its reputation as a “baby-friendly” hospital that promotes breast-feeding placed under investigation over handling a newborn. (www.alltravels.com)
An investigation got underway yesterday in a private hospital in Cebu City , where parents of a newborn complained that their son’s upper lip was sealed with tape.
The tape was placed to hold a pacifier in place. The pacifier got dislodged, but a nurse’s explanation that the baby was constantly crying as well as the sight of the infant’s sealed mouth has triggered a potential lawsuit.
All staff assigned in the nursery room have been placed under investigation. The condition of baby Yohannes was discovered by his mother last May 9.
“No, there is no such thing as gagging. There is no protocol for that,” Dr. Raida Varona, medical director of the Cebu Puericulture Center and Maternity House Inc. told reporters yesterday.
“We are conducting a deeper investigation of the incident. I cannot give you the timeline but we want to finish it as soon as possible. It’s hard making comments,” she said. She declined to identify the nurse or other hospital staff involved.
It was the first official comment of the center since the parents’ complaint went viral on a Facebook post of the child’s father, Ryan Noval, who called the experience “Nightmare @ Maternity Hospital”. He posted four close-up photos of the infant with his upper mouth taped. In one photo, a blue pacifier can be seen near the crown of the baby’s head.
The baby, who was delivered normally, is due for discharge today.
The incident has fired up discussions online and offline, and raised questions about why the hospital, an advocate of breast-feeding was using a pacifier on a baby, a practice that’s been discouraged or subject to some debate in healthcare circles. (See related advice by the Mayo Clinic about the pros and cons of using pacifiers.)
“Hindi monetary ang habol namin. (We’re not after money.) We just want to know what happened to our child,” said the mother, Jasmine Badocdoc, who used to work in a call center.
She said her sister, a nurse, and mother who is in the healthcare industry, told her that using a pacifier per se was not advisable (“hindi mabuti”) and that the tape on the mouth posed a risk of suffocation.
“We would still accept an apology… para mabigyan din ng sanctions,” Badocdoc told Cebu Daily News.
She said the infant was doing well, and that the skin which “peeled off” when a nurse removed the tape, had healed.
The tape used was a hypoallergenic adhesive used in surgical or medical cases.
BICYCLE ADVOCATE
Meanwhile, the baby’s father said they have consulted a lawyer for their next step, but have not made any decision yet. He said it would depend on the center’s response.
“They (management) called us an hour ago and said they would call for a meeting (today) of all the people involved in the incident,” said Noval, who heads a bicycle advocacy group called Critical Mass Cebu.
Noval was born in Cebu but was raised in the United States and is engaged in the business of repairing and selling fixed gear bicycles.
Cebu Maternity House, founded in 1922 by the Cebu Woman’s Club, is registered in the Security and Exchange Commission as a non-stock, non-profit “social welfare institution”. The president is Florencia Streegan and Iris Jakosalem, an obstetrician-gynecologist, is its vice president.
Called “Maternity Hospital” by local residents, the center on B. Rodriguez Street is an advocate of breast-feeding and a medical facility known for its high-level care, clean surroundings and affordable packages for maternal delivery.
DOH INQUIRY
Although no formal complaint has reached the Department of Health (DOH-7), Regional Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas said he has ordered a fact-finding team to start an inquiry because the matter has been widely publicized and was “trending” on social media.
(Upon learning of the DOH inquiry, Varona questioned why the government office was stepping into an internal “hospital problem”.)
“If they ask us why,” said Bernadas, “DOH is still mandated to keep track of what is happening especially in a situation like this.” He said the DOH reviews practices that promote quality service and regulations of health facilities.
A DOH team delivered a letter signed by the regional director, requesting the hospital to furnish a copy of their investigation, said Suzette Jabonete, DOH public information officer.
Bernadas said DOH-7 has no hard-and-fast policy about the use of pacifiers on babies, but said, “Pacifiers are not advisable. These might be a source of contamination of bacteria and these are not advisable for children.”
He said this was the first time DOH-7 has encountered a complaint about a newborn baby having his mouth taped in a health facility.
The Facebook post of the baby’s father appeared on May 9, the same night the child’s condition was discovered.
It said, “Meet my son Yohannes Noval!! he cannot speak about his horrific experience from the attending nurse’s hands inside Maternity Hospital’s nursery…..so we have to speak out for him. If you think your newborn babies are safe, think again. Your babies could be silent victims and you will never really know about it!!!”
EMERGENCY MEETING
The board of directors of Cebu Maternity Center had an emergency meeting yesterday.
There is no Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) installed in the nursery rooms.
When asked if they had spoken with the parents, Dr. Varona said, “They have never filed a complaint and they have never come to us.” But she said she was willing to talk with the parents.
According to the baby’s father, they went to the hospital’s information desk on Saturday to lodge a verbal complaint and showed photos of the baby on his cellphone. He said he was advised to secure the photos as evidence.
Noval said he found the center’s response “very slow” and is seeking legal advice.
The baby, their third child, was born last May 3. He had to stay longer in the hospital after delivery and was given antibiotics to treat a possible infection.
The mother said they are still waiting for their pediatrician’s advice on whether their baby needs to undergo tests.
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