DPA
Phnom Penh - A private health clinic in Phnom Penh could be sued after mistakenly declaring a premature baby dead on two occasions, local media reported.
The baby's father, Im Vannarith, told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper that he took his six-month pregnant wife to the Soriya Clinic on Monday after she complained of abdominal pains.
Two hours later she gave birth to a baby boy, named Samnang, but he was declared dead by the clinic owner shortly afterwards.
'We were devastated,' Im Vannarith said, adding that he went to see his son's body in another room. 'I saw my baby was still breathing, so I asked the doctor to send him to hospital.'
But while in a car on the way to a children's hospital in Phnom Penh, the clinic nurse - who was accompanying the baby, his father and grandmother - told the driver to turn around, saying Samnang had died.
On returning to the clinic, the baby was again laid out as if dead, but when his grandmother went to check on him she found he was breathing.
Im Vannarith then took his son to the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital. Hospital director Dr Beat Richner told the German Press Agency dpa Thursday that the infant, whom he said was born at 26 weeks, was alive but remained in critical condition.
'We cannot be too hopeful, but we are doing everything we can,' Dr Richner said. 'This is not a good start for the child, who only weighs 900 grams. But we have saved children [previously who weighed] 900 grams.'
Dr Richner condemned private clinics which perform deliveries without the capacity to provide neonatal care, saying they are 'only interested in money.'
He said baby Samnang is the 1,680th child currently being treated in the wards of his charity's five children's hospitals. All are treated for free.
'This is daily life here [in Cambodia],' he said of the incident.
The Soriya Clinic denied wrongdoing and told the Post that it had tried its best to help after the baby stopped breathing.
Im Vannarith said he and his lawyer are contemplating legal action.
The baby's father, Im Vannarith, told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper that he took his six-month pregnant wife to the Soriya Clinic on Monday after she complained of abdominal pains.
Two hours later she gave birth to a baby boy, named Samnang, but he was declared dead by the clinic owner shortly afterwards.
'We were devastated,' Im Vannarith said, adding that he went to see his son's body in another room. 'I saw my baby was still breathing, so I asked the doctor to send him to hospital.'
But while in a car on the way to a children's hospital in Phnom Penh, the clinic nurse - who was accompanying the baby, his father and grandmother - told the driver to turn around, saying Samnang had died.
On returning to the clinic, the baby was again laid out as if dead, but when his grandmother went to check on him she found he was breathing.
Im Vannarith then took his son to the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital. Hospital director Dr Beat Richner told the German Press Agency dpa Thursday that the infant, whom he said was born at 26 weeks, was alive but remained in critical condition.
'We cannot be too hopeful, but we are doing everything we can,' Dr Richner said. 'This is not a good start for the child, who only weighs 900 grams. But we have saved children [previously who weighed] 900 grams.'
Dr Richner condemned private clinics which perform deliveries without the capacity to provide neonatal care, saying they are 'only interested in money.'
He said baby Samnang is the 1,680th child currently being treated in the wards of his charity's five children's hospitals. All are treated for free.
'This is daily life here [in Cambodia],' he said of the incident.
The Soriya Clinic denied wrongdoing and told the Post that it had tried its best to help after the baby stopped breathing.
Im Vannarith said he and his lawyer are contemplating legal action.
4 comments:
WTF.. if true about this clinic or hospital it's sad! reflection on the Gov't!
iS SORIYA CLINICKCONECTED WITH HUN XEN'S CHILDREN?
like i said before, cambodia really needs to overhaul and reform the practice and professional ethics of the healthcare providers and workers. until people wake up to this, cases like this will continue to exist. even healthcare providers needs to keep their medical skills up-to-date. and the school of medicine in cambodia need to emphasize to their students the code of medical practice, etc... apparently, this goes to show some people are not educated enough in their profession. wake up, gov't of cambodia, they ought to form a medical board like they have in the USA to punish providers and those who work in the medical profession if they do something wrong or against the medical profession code of ethics, etc... cambodia needs to have this law, if not already! perhaps, with this kind of law, it will also help or encourage competition and thus good or higher salary for providers as well. anything cambodia may lack now, is possible to achieve as they already have this kind of case and law in the USA and elsewhere. learn or adopt from the them all to benefit the people of cambodia. wake up, people! don't show so ignorant, here!
Oh thanks goodness for Dr. Richner. Thank you for choosing to stay in Cambodia to help God's little children.
Life is always cheap to the most incompetent Cambodian doctors, but money is highly praised by them instead.
Best of luck to the newborn.
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