The Ministry of Health has announced that they are investigating the death of an unborn child at the Hithadhoo Regional Hospital.
The ministry confirmed this in a statement on Thursday, following reports of the incident on social media.
Several individuals shared a post from the family, who allege that the child died as a result of the hospital’s negligence.
The child died of an umbilical cord abnormality that resulted in strangulation. The family said in their post that a scan of the mother’s womb showed the baby’s umbilical code entangled around its neck, though this was not reported in the document prepared by the hospital.
Further, while the mother required urgent consultation with a doctor, no gynecologists were available the day she required it, on December 9th, Sunday. The mother was able to consult a gynecologist the following day, who recommended immediate surgery.
While an immediate caesarian section was ordered, the procedure was delayed due to the hospital’s only operating theater being already reserved for another procedure; a circumcision. It was revealed after the baby was removed that the umbilical cord had wrapped thrice around the baby’s neck.
