Indefensible.
That was how the Cebu Medical Society described the actions of a group of doctors and nurses of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) who figured in the Jan. 3, 2008 “Black Suede Scandal.”
To recall, doctors and nurses performed a procedure on a patient to remove a canister of perfume stuck in his anus. The video posted on YouTube showed the operating roof staff laughing and giggling as one of them pulled out the canister and shouted “Baby Out!”, then opened it and sprayed its contents.
It was bad humor at the expense of the patient.
The video sparked public outrage over how grossly insensitive the medical staff of the government-run Vicente Sotto Medical Memorial Center was in handling his case.
Now we have Facebook to credit for exposing photos of a newborn boy whose upper lip was taped.
The nurse on duty in the Cebu Puericulture Center and Maternity House Inc. couldn’t stop his crying. The mother, who walked into the nursery to breastfeed, could not believe her eyes.
The difference in the two cases has to do with the total picture.
The cruel hilarity in the VSMMC operating room was caught on camera phone video, recording scenes that left no room for doubt that a patient’s dignity and privacy were violated.
In the baby Johannes case, the four photos of his tiny face with adhesive on his mouth from ear to ear led to the instant conclusion that he was gagged.
Public anger was stoked over the sight of a helpless baby silenced like a kidnap victim.
The total picture, which unfolded after more inquiry, was that the tape was placed to hold a pacifier. Mothers, wet nurses and and any caregiver who’s spent a sleepless night calming down a restless baby know the value of that handy, sucking device.
We can’t blame the parents for their fury on seeing their son with his mouth sealed with tape.
But it certainly looks like the rage could have been tempered with a prompt, full explanation by the nurse, and more tender handling of an infant, who’s second nature is to cry when it’s hungry, uncomfortable or just missing his mother’s breast.
It’s a big stretch to call the handling “cruel”, but protocol of a baby-friendly hospital was certainly violated. Pacifiers are a no-no in maternity facilities that advocate breastfreeding. The only nipple that newborns should latch on to belongs to the mother, not rubber or plastic. As for the face tape, whether it was surgical grade, hypoallergenic adhesive or not, using it was a lazy short cut that a health care professional had no business adopting.