‘Dead’ baby who turned out alive dies
m. today.
Florencia Reyes, a relative, said the baby’s heartbeat started to slow down around 1 a.m. today and stopped a few minutes later.
But the baby’s condition had started to worsen starting Wednesday, three days after she was placed in the incubation room, according to Genalyn Rosales, an aunt.
She said they were told the baby had developed an infection but the nurses failed to explain to them how it happened.[]
No doctor at the hospital checked on the patient since Sunday, she said.
She also complained how the patient was being treated at the state-run hospital.
“Sa dihang wala nihilak ang bata o wala ni-respond sa ilang mga ginhimo, ila dayon gi-deklara nga patay. Unya, gisulod dayon nila sa karton nga buhi man diay ang bata. Tama ba na nga proseso? Asa ang hustisya ana? (When the baby did not cry or did not respond to what they did, they then declared the child dead. Then they placed it inside a box when it was still alive. Is that the right process? Where’s justice there?),” said Rosales.
The hospital management has also not issued an explanation on the cause of death of Masiganday’s baby.
Dr. Eva Rabaya, assistant chief of hospital, said in a text message that they are still waiting for the explanation from Dr. Estrella Clerigo who was on duty at the delivery room at the time Desiree Masiganday, 22, delivered the baby.[]
She added Clerigo is out of town.
Rosales said that even they as relatives did not get any explanation from the hospital.
Rabaya said they already started the investigation of the case on Thursday because they also wanted to know what really happened. She said that while they already had cases where a patient declared turned out to be alive it was the first time that it happened to a baby.
Relatives of the baby are crying justice and had reported on Thursday the incident reported to the local police.
Rosales said they wanted the doctor to explain why it happened to their niece.
But she clarified that they have yet to discuss on whether they would file charges against Clerigo and the hospital.
In the meantime, Rabaya told relatives the Cotabato provincial government will shoulder all the hospital bills incurred by the mother and the child and the funeral expenses. (Malu Cadelina-Manar/MindaNews)
