Miscommunication fanned childbirth cases

The head of the pediatrics department of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) yesterday said miscommunication was a problem in the  furor over  two incidents involving newborns.

Dr. Ramon Najarro said  the government hospital considers the case “closed”  in the alleged baby dropping incident  on Sept. 10.

He said the baby was not harmed at all.

In medical practice, they use “catch the baby” to refer  to receving a baby, which is what happened when a mother gave birth in the labor room.

He said the term was misinterpreted by the parents who thought that the baby fell.

“When the baby was out, the nurse was able to catch the baby,” he said.

An in-house panel was formed to investigate this  allegation and the stillborn delivery of a boy  on Sept. 14.

Deliberations are still being made to determine whether lapses were made  by the meidcal staff in the death of the child of Redjie Torreon, whose pregnant wife Antonietta was referred to VSMMC after going to the Eversely Childs Sanitarium in Mandaue City.

The couple complained that something went wrong in the delivery and that they noticed the baby’s head was almost detached.  The baby was in a breech position, and emerged feet first.

The  seven-member team was led by Dr. Regina Melodia.

There were initial findings of lapses.

Najarro said a member of the investigating team noted  an apparent failure of the resident doctor to properly inform the father  about the circumstances behind the delivery.

“Perhaps, our resident (doctor) lacked communication skills. W also have a busy environment (in the delivery room),”  he said.

The panel, he added, is still determining the extent of the liability of the attending doctors and other medical staff.

Sanction

“There is a proposal to sanction the resident (doctor). We are also (trying to find out) if there is a deficiency within the system,” he explained.

The panel also reviewed the way the hospital staff handled the baby’s cadaver.

Redjie Torreon, in an earlier interview, lamented how he learned of his child’s death several hours later and was just directed to go to the morgue, where his  dead son was wrapped in white linen and placed in a box.

“We have to review  work instructions for us to to prevent the occurrence of similar incidents,” Najarro said.

He said the hospital also plans to have a reorientation for their health workers about their  roles.

The VSMMC panel has invited the medical staff of the Eversley Childs Sanitarium to shed light on the incident.

Based on the referral slip from the sanitarium, the fetus’ heartbeat was not detected by the doppler ultrasound,

“The cervix was at 10 centimeters which means it was fully dilated. Nigawas na ang baby even at the Eversley Childs Sanitarium,”  Najarro said.

They also want to find out why the referral slip from Eversley indicated that the baby was 21 weeks old which contradicted an earlier ultrasound  test in the sanitarium that said it was  24 weeks old.

“Regardless if 21 weeks or 24 na siya, it is consider as previable which means fetus pa siya, not yet totally a baby. He also had low chances of survival because of this condition,” Najarro said.

He said the  referral slip also said that the mother had a urinary tract infection (UTI) which could have caused her cervix to retract.

As to the complaint that the fetus’ head was almost detached, Najaro said the umbilical cord had coiled around the neck.

“There was cord coil.  We accept the fact that there was a deep laceration of the neck but the head was not cut off.”

It was found out that this was Antonietta’s second pregnancy. She had a previous miscarriage.

The mother insisted that her baby was still moving in her womb before she went to VSMMC.  As proof she showed the ultrasound test taken in the Eversely Childs Sanitarium a day before she transferred. The Sept. 13 report described the baby as “alive.”

Commenting on the ultrasound test, Dr. Gerardo Aquino, VSMMC chief, said “Anything can happen within a day.”

Last Monday, the parents went to Cebu City Hall to seek assistance from Mayor Michael Rama, in order to pursue a malpractice suit.  They were referred to the legal office for assistance, but no decision has been made yet whether to sue.

Sought for comment, Dr. Aquino yesterday said “it is the right of the couple to seek the assistance of the city government and any other concerned agencies.”

The Commission on Human Rights 7 earlier took interest in the Torreon case and visited them at home.

The goverment hospital said it is inviting the parents to explain to them the progress of their investigation.

Meanwhile, the hospital considered as “case closed” the alleged baby dropping incident.

“We met them (the parents) with our public assistance committee. They also understood the predicament of the institution,” said Dr. Aquino.

He said there were more patients than the staff could handle that day.  Instead of the ideal ratio of one staff for one patient, the radio became one is to ten, he said.

In an 8-hour shift, there are 16 deliveries to handle, he said.  There are five resident doctors with some assigned for normal deliveries while others handle caesarian sections.

“We are trying our best to cope with the situation.  Although we are a tertiary hospital, we still assist for normal deliveries,” he said.