News of the tragedy was first posted at Facebook on March 14 that a woman and her newborn baby died following a ‘natural childbirth’ – a labor method where the umbilical cord is kept uncut after delivery, an official said Thursday.
The facebooker said that the pregnant had taken part in a training course of “ natural childbirth" at the fee of VND15 million ($658.7).
Head of the Mother and Children Department under the Ministry Nguyen Duc Vinh confirmed the news is groundless because the municipal Department of Health and Tu Du Maternity liaised to investigate the case yet no mother and baby in HCMC died in such situation.
Mr. Vinh stressed a harsh punishment will be able to issue on the facebooker who posted misleading and harmful information, making people anxious.
The Ministry of Health has sent its document to the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Central Commission for Propaganda and Education proposing to have severe penalty on the person who spread the rumor on social network.
Also the ministry warned people should use social network smartly.
According to Dr. Nguyen Ba My Nhi, deputy director of Tu Du Maternity Hospital, “natural childbirth” is a “dangerous and unscientific” trend that can prove fatal for the mother and child or cause serious medical complications. According to the trend, mothers delivering at home will not cut the umbilical cord to allow more blood to flow from placenta to the baby.
Dr. Nhi said several hospitals do perform delayed umbilical cord clamping to allow more blood to flow from the placenta to the baby. But this procedure must be timed carefully because placentas, when left outside for too long, may get infected and affect the baby, which can be fatal”
Meanwhile, director of the Ministry of Health's Legal Department Nguyen Huy Quang said a person will be prosecuted if there is dead one during natural childbirth at home.
