Family accuses gov’t hospital of negligence for baby’s death

The burial of Harry Morgan Ylaya Visaya has yet to be scheduled as his family copes with his death.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

A family accused a government hospital of negligence and medical malpractice in relation to the death of their eight-month-old child.

Harry Morgan Ylaya Visaya, died at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center at 6:50 am last Sunday.

But he was first brought for check-up, to the St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital, another government-run hospital in Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City  last June 2.

Harry, whose family lived in Mambaling, was given medicine and wasn’t confined since the doctor told them it was just a simple case of vomiting and diarrhea, said the boy’s aunt Michelle Ylaya. They were also advised to change his milk.

But Michelle said they brought the child back to the hospital last June 3 and insisted on having the baby admitted after his condition worsened.

Harry’s mother Marifhe and Michelle blamed the medical staff of St. Anthony for being negligent, resulting to the death of the boy.

Dislodged

Based on the death certificate issued by VSMMC, the boy died due to acute gastroenteritis with severe dehydration in hypotensive shock. (Status epilepticus. CNS infection)

In her Facebook post Michelle accused the St. Anthony’s staff of negligence and malpractice.

She said the hospital should have told them that they cannot treat her child so they could transfer Harry to another hospital immediately.

Marifhe said when her baby was admitted, it seemed that the boy’s condition started to normalize last June 4.

But at midnight, the needle where the dextrose was attached to the boy’s hand  was dislodged and the nurse failed to insert it back despite several attempts until a doctor arrived at 1 or 2 a.m. on June 5.

Crying

The doctor reportedly told Marifhe that the needle would be inserted to the boy the following day.

Marifhe said the same doctor returned at 8 or 9 a.m. of June 5 and told her that her dextrose would not be administered.

At 10 a.m., she said another doctor arrived and decided to administer the dextrose.

At that time her son was weak and crying. In the afternoon of June 6, the needle was dislodged again and the nurse found it difficult to reinsert it.

It wasn’t until evening when the doctor decided to refer the boy to VSMMC.

Marifhe’s sister Michelle said she was there when the boy was about to be transferred, and said she saw the negligence of the medical staff.

She said they didn’t even put diapers on the baby.

Investigation

She said they insisted to bring the child to Chong Hua Hospital but the doctor advised against it, saying the hospital would ask for an P80,000 deposit.

“They didn’t give dextrose to the baby overnight when they know that he needed fluids,” Michelle said. At 6:50 a.m. on June 7, the boy died.

The Visaya family plans to file a civil case against the hospital.

Dr. Robert Denopol, director of the St. Anthony Mother and Child hospital, asked the family to file a complaint at their office.

Dr. Denopol said he is willing to conduct a formal investigation against the doctor and other staff.

The pediatrician’s identity is being withheld until her side is heard on the case.

Status

Dr. Denopol said it is expected that the dextrose would usually be dislodged from a patient if he or she is suffering from dehydration because his or her veins are weak at the time.

He said a patient will only be referred to another hospital if the situation calls for it, and if it is explained to the family.

Dr. Denopol said it is the hospital’s policy to explain the status of the patient to the family.

He said being a level one hospital, St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital must refer their patients to either level 2 or level 3 hospitals.

As a government hospital, he said, St. Anthony’s referral is VSMMC. St. Anthony and VSMMC are both under the supervision of the Department of Health.

But if the patient’s family insists on bringing him or her to a private hospital, then, that is their call, he said.

Dr. Denopol said he believed that the hospital’s doctor and nurses were doing their best to save the child.

“In fact, the doctor went with the family to the hospital,” Dr. Denopol told dyLA in an interview.