THE family of an infant who died during birth at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) is bent on pursuing criminal charges against the government-run hospital even if it means exhuming the remains of their baby buried last June 6 so that he can be subjected to an autopsy.
Lorna Arcales, the baby’s aunt, said they want to know the cause of John Niño’s death and gather more evidence against VSMMC physicians and the medical staff who attended to the baby’s mother when she gave birth last June 5.
“We already talked about this and we want an autopsy to be performed,” she told CDN in Cebuano, adding that the only thing that prevented them was the lack of money to pay for an autopsy.
But Cebu City Police Office Directore Benjamin Santos Jr., quickly responded with an offer for police to conduct the autopsy themselves so that the family won’t have to pay a single centavo.
“The police is conducting a formal investigation on the matter, hence the family doesn’t have to pay for the autopsy,” he said.
An autopsy on the infant was needed to determine the actual reason for the infant’s death as the death certificate issued by the hospital simply wrote “N/A” on the space for “cause of death”, reports earlier said.
While verbal testimonies are good, Santos said there has to be scientific findings to help bolster the case.
Santos had sent a letter to VSMMC, requesting hospital officials to identify the doctor who handled the infant’s mother.
“I don’t know yet how many doctors attended to the mother,” he said.
If police are able to gather sufficient evidence, Santos said they will file charges of negligence resulting in homicide against those who facilitated the infant’s delivery.
Spouses Edalene and Roldan Añosa on Wednesday requested the Women and Children’s Protection Desk of the CCPO to conduct an investigation on the physicians and medical attendants of VSMMC who attended to her when she gave birth last June 5.
Health Secretary Janette Garin also ordered the Department of Health in the region to conduct a probe on the infant’s death, especially as the death certificate did not state the cause of the baby’s death.
Although she had earlier been advised by another doctor to give birth via caesarean section, Edalene said those who facilitated the delivery of her son recommended she opt for a normal delivery.
She said the infant’s head got stuck during labor and medical attendants, after several attempts, forcibly pulled out the baby.
When the baby came out, he was immediately brought to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but died hours after.
Photos of the baby showed dark patches which appeared to be bruises on his skin.