BW of Brazil: Yesterday on the blog we featured the miracle survival of a baby that was delivered after only five months of gestation and being born at only 622 grams. In January, there was another miracle story about a woman who delivered her baby that had developed in her right ovary. Risky circumstances with happy endings. Today comes a story with not such a happy ending. Although there are two opposing views of what happened and who is at fault, the story still highlights the special needs of black women in terms of patient care in health clinics and hospitals throughout Brazil.
Pregnant woman loses her 2nd baby and blames it on lack of patient care in two hospitals
Case was recorded as omission of aid at the 18th Precinct (Praça da Bandeira); patient undergoes surgery to remove dead fetus
by Alessandro-Lo Bianco
Rio – On Wednesday, the merchant Luana Jessica Leal, 24, lost her baby at eight months of pregnancy for the second time, after waiting for more than 10 hours for care in two hospitals of the Assim health plan. The case was registered at the 18th Precinct (Praça da Bandeira) as an omission of aid.
The saleswoman was admitted on Tuesday at 4pm, at Daniel Lipp Hospital, in Duque de Caxias in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro, but didn’t receive any care. According to the child’s father, bricklayer José Carlos Alves, 25, “arriving at the unit, we had to wait two hours for a doctor who said he didn’t have a machine to do the ultrasound.” The man was advised to seek treatment at the Rede Rio de Medicina (RRM) clinic in Tijuca, of Rio’s north zone.
Upon arrival at the clinic, around 7pm, the doctor on duty had the phone turned off and was absent. “He only appeared after five hours, did the ultrasound and left without (saying) a word to us,” says José Carlos Alves.
The child’s father adds that it was the receptionist who gave the news that the baby was dead. “Until now, the hospital hasn’t said what the cause of death was,” he said.
According to the couple, who currently pay R$450 (about US$202) for the health plan, two years ago another pregnancy was also lost due to lack of care at the Daniel Lipp Hospital. On Wednesday police officers from the 18th Precinct went to the units record testimonies. Interned, Jessica waited at RRM for a surgery to remove the dead fetus.
By phone, the ombudsman of the health plan revealed that he would contact the patient to acknowledge the fact and that the case would be directed to the company’s legal representation.
A spokesperson for the Daniel Lipp Hospital reported that the patient had arrived with the baby dead in the womb and the doctor who provided care informed the family about the baby’s death, but directed the patient to seek another unit to perform a Doppler echocardiography, a test that shows an accurate reading of the baby’s heart. This version is disputed by the child’s father.
According to the RRM clinic, upon arrival at the emergency room, Luana had been cared for at that moment by the obstetrician on call. “After the report of no feeling of any movement of the fetus for 3 days, the patient underwent tests that confirmed the absence of fetal movement and heartbeat. She was diagnosed with gestational hypertension, developing a case of pre-eclampsia, a disorder that endangers pregnancies. Upon confirmation of the death of the fetus, the patient was referred to inpatient admission where she was treated and placed on zero diet to have an elective cesarean section.”
According to the father, this version is also controversial. “We never told the hospital that the fetus didn’t have any movements for three days. On Monday, for example, we listened to the heart beat of a normal child at home through a device that we have,” he said.
The child’s father said it would sue the two hospitals and also the health plan.
Source: O Dia
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