Doctors blamed for death of pregnant woman

The husband of a dead pregnant woman has blamed doctors at the National Maternity Hospital in Hanoi for irresponsible conduct and produced enough evidence against them for health authorities.

The husband of a dead pregnant woman has blamed doctors at the National Maternity Hospital in Hanoi for irresponsible conduct and produced enough evidence against them for health authorities.

Relatives of 20-year-old Nguyen Thi Hang, from Ha Dong District in Hanoi, said she was taken to hospital on the morning of September 29 after she showed signs of being in labor.  The hospital staff asked the family to pay VND1.5 million (US$72) for injecting her with a drug to induce easy delivery. However, Hang was never injected with the drug.

Fearing deterioration in the condition of his pregnant wife and the risk to his unborn child, the husband Bui The Hai asked doctors to conduct a cesarean, but doctors insisted Hang was healthy enough for a natural childbirth. By 3pm of the same day, hospital staff announced that Hang had died and went ahead with an operation to save her child.

Hao said that at the time Hang was rushed to hospital, Dr. Nguyen Ha Bao Van had written in the examination book that the fetus was 39.3 weeks old and the mother-to-be suffered obstetric complications.

Dr. Van had asked for transfer of the pregnant woman to the emergency room for child delivery.

Hai said that during pregnancy, his wife had been examined at different hospitals all confirming that she had obstetric complications and was on drugs for treatment.

However, all ultrasound test results attached in the examination book National Maternity Hospital had disappeared.

The hospital director Nguyen Viet Tien said the case may be associated with Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE), a difficult-to-treat obstetric complication.

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