We all believe that hospitals are supposed to save lives - but what if a hospital might inadvertently cause someone’s death? That’s what a family from Bohol believes after their baby died because the hospital refused admission two times, despite the mother trying to insist that they take the baby in each time…
Maricel Igang of Del Carmen Weste in Balilihan, Bohol, angrily posted her experience with Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center, a government hospital. She detailed the sequence of events that led to her 9-month-old baby’s untimely passing.
According to Igang, her baby, Leizy Mae Igang Racho, had a fever on March 2; the baby also had diarrhea. So, they took the child to the provincial hospital the following day. They were asked to have the child undergo laboratory tests for its stool and urine. Medicine was also prescribed.
However, despite the medication, the child’s condition worsened. This time, according to Igang, the baby also vomited several times.
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| The hospital refused to admit the baby several times - and her mom believes that this led to her untimely death… Photo credit: Maricel Igang |
Since they were worried about the baby’s condition, they went back to the hospital on March 4, intending to have the child admitted. They were surprised, however, that the hospital refused to admit the baby, with the hospital staff telling them that the child was actually fine and not looking weak.
As the child’s mom, she knew how weak the child was compared to the previous months, yet the hospital staff kept on insisting that the baby didn’t have to be admitted. The hospital requested further blood tests, but when the results came in okay, they were told to go home. The child was okay, the staff assured.
Feeling helpless, Igang had to bring the baby once again back home. They were given medicines for colic, and told to continue giving the child Oresol (for rehydration) and zinc.
The baby’s condition worsened at home. According to Igang, Baby Leizy would put her own hair, seemingly appearing to have a really bad headache. The baby continued to experience her original symptoms of fever, diarrhea, and vomiting - these weren’t alleviated by her medications.
Fearing for the baby’s life, Igang took the baby to the hospital again. Yet the hospital didn’t initially think the condition was serious, Igang alleged. Again, they didn’t rush to provide the child help. They were once again told to go home and take the medications previously prescribed.
According to Igang, it was only when the baby vomited blood several times that the hospital staff finally took action. They rushed to insert an IV line but the child was so dehydrated by then that they had to struggle to even get the needle in.
She described how the medical staff had to poke the baby with so many needles and injected her with medications, to no avail. Sadly, the baby couldn’t take it anymore.
On her Facebook post, Igang wrote that had she known the baby would pass away at the hospital on that third visit, she might have stayed at home so the little one wouldn’t suffer so much with being poked with so many needles.
Furious over the experience, she seeks justice for her baby… RIP, Baby Leizy Mae.
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
