Hospital failed to detect baby’s death, says teacher

Hospital failed to detect baby’s death, says teacher


BUTTERWORTH: A teacher wants to know why hospital authorities failed to detect that his baby was already dead inside his wife’s womb 24 hours before she went into labour.

Khairul Anuar Abdul Rahim, 36, alleged that he was told that his baby was alive when his wife, Shahriza Abdul Rami, 30, went for a check-up at the Penang Maternity Hospital on Monday.

Khairul, from Simpang Ampat, said his wife was admitted to the Seberang Jaya Hospital at 5.50pm on Tuesday and claimed that 15 minutes later, the doctors suspected that the baby had died.

“But they waited till 9.15pm to scan my wife before the doctor told me of the sad news.

“My wife delivered our stillborn child at about 11pm. I left the hospital at 2am with my daughter's body and the doctor had yet to issue the death certificate. The hospital had been negligent in carrying out its duties.

“When I came to collect the certificate on Wednesday, I was told by the hospital staff that my daughter had died 24 hours prior to my wife's labour,” he said after meeting the Seberang Jaya Hospital management yesterday.

The couple has two sons aged eight and two.

Khairul said his wife suffered from Immune thrombocytopenic purpura that causes low blood palette count, and she was hospitalised several times during the last two months.

He said he was giving the hospital a week to explain, failing which he would take legal action.
Penang Health Department director Dr Teh Lei Choo said an investigation would be conducted.
“The department would investigate the allegations and we would call Khairul for another meeting to explain on what had transpired.

“A meeting was set up between Khairul and the hospital but he left abruptly after accusing them of negligence,” she said.