THE story of baby Yohannes and his taped mouth has received global attention and was a top online story in The Huffington Post United Kingdom.
Talk show host Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino discuss Cebu’s case of a ‘taped baby’. (VIDEO GRAB)
The popular online aggregator Huffington Post reposted all the photos and comments of the baby’s father Ryan “Rye Kido” Noval on Facebook.
The issue of alleged child abuse was also discused by TV talk show hosts Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda in their 15-minute segment “Aquino and Abunda Tonight” last Tuesday on ABS-CBN.
“As a mother this bothers me. It does not only bothers me, it angers me,” Aquino said.
“What if di na naka hinga ang bata? You’ll never what if may sipon ang bata. And sometimes you breathe through your mouth talaga. And the fact na tuklap ang bibig ng bata?” (What if the child couldn’t breathe? You’ll never know if he had colds… and the fact that his mouth was covered.)
“This child abuse to the highest degree kasi infant,” said an emotional Aquino.
Abunda for his part said the treatment was “inhuman”.
“This is a six-day old baby. Is this an SOP done in this specific hospital? Is this something that is allowed by the hospital. It needs investigation,” Abunda said.
“This is a message to all nurses. It is not an excuse that you are desensitized. Every pain is different and every cry is different. And this kid is a victim.”
Aquino also commented that a pacifier must not be used for infants because it may damage their gums.
The crying baby was given a pacifier and the adhesive tape was used to keep the sucking device in place, but fell off.
Related Story:
‘Taped’ baby comes home; father says nurse’s lapse shows need ‘to fix the system’
Infant’s mouth taped to hold a pacifier – is that safe protocol?