Concerning to deaths of four newborn babies in the Hospital of Obstetrics and Pediatrics in the northern province of Bac Ninh, the Ministry of Health yesterday sent its document to its local sub-department asking to verify the cases.
The Ministry required severe penalties on those who violated the regulation in treatment as well as the hospital managers to share pains with parents and provide precise information to the families and media. Moreover, a scientific council must be set up to probe the cause of these deaths and treatment procedure.
While waiting for the scientific council's conclusion on the deaths, the Department of Health in Bac Ninh has to send its initial report of treatment procedure of the infrimary no later than November 22.
Additionally, the Department must instruct maternity clinics in the province to strictly follow the Ministry's guidance of maternity healthcare in order to reduce mortality rate of mothers and neonates.
The Department of Health ordered the hospital to verify the health condition of newborn babies transferring nine neonates in critical condition to the National Children Hospital and five other to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi.
According to the Department and relevant agencies, the deaths may be caused by septic shock because all four babies had been born prematurely between the 30th and 34th week of pregnancy. The heaviest baby weighed a mere 2.3 kilograms at birth, while the smallest one was only 1.6 kilograms in weight.
However, to clarify the death causes, the health sector invited the Criminal Science Institute under the Ministry of Public Security to perform autopsy.
