Family disputes Health Ministry over infant death in Chita
A premature newborn died two days after birth in Chita, leading to a family dispute with health authorities.
The infant died two days after birth at the Zabaykalsky Krai Perinatal Center, his mother and grandmother told a Chita.Ru correspondent on October 10. The relatives disagree with the doctors« position on the causes of death, which are outlined in the official response from the Health Ministry that is in the editorial office»s possession.
According to the interlocutor, the child of her 17-year-old daughter was born at 27 weeks—on July 26. He died on the 28th.
«The diagnosis is bacterial sepsis from an early stage. As if she was still pregnant, and the child already had sepsis, but no one saw it. The child was developing, gaining weight. And in the conclusion, it says that there was damage to the brain, heart, kidneys. A million questions, no answers. We received the death documents for the child on October 6. We buried him based on a call from the morgue, without a certificate. We still can«t get the pregnancy card»— the girl»s mother said.
The girl herself said that the child was born with one diagnosis—profoundly premature, and all other diagnoses were made after the baby«s death.
Her mother added that the daughter got married, was under timely medical observation: «She was treated for an infection during pregnancy, then she took smears—everything was fine. In June, her mucus plug came out (this is one of the signs of approaching labor.— Ed.), there was dilation. But she was hospitalized for preservation. She already had a ruptured amniotic sac. She suffered for five days, couldn«t go to the toilet. Then they performed a cesarean section. The baby was born premature—one kilogram, 40 centimeters. He was transferred to intensive care, the daughter was transferred to a room on the second day. Then the child»s heart stopped. The daughter was still treated in the gynecology department for infection».
The interlocutor said that the family doesn«t understand at what stage the infection occurred: «If during pregnancy, then it should have been terminated, because it was a fatal diagnosis. If it happened in the maternity hospital, then it should have been indicated. Plus the attitude was rude, because she is 17 years old: “Little girl, forget it like a bad dream. You»ll have more children, you don«t have to take the child, no need to bury him”».
According to the girl«s mother, the Investigative Committee is still conducting an investigation.
In the response from the regional Health Ministry, it is reported that the child«s main diagnosis was unspecified bacterial sepsis. At the same time, the document states that a connection was identified between the newborn»s sepsis and the course of the pregnancy: «All existing factors in you contributed to the development of isthmic-cervical insufficiency, which, in conditions of infection, does not respond to therapy and inevitably leads to intrauterine infection of the newborn and premature birth».
The ministry responded that, according to the explanations of the medical staff, the fact of improper treatment was not confirmed. Also, the document states that the death certificate for the newborn was ready immediately after the child«s death, however, no one applied for it.
