Doctors made an incorrect prognosis, and the newborn girl was almost buried alive.

Seeing that the premature baby girl was weak and frail, the doctor concluded that she would not survive and handed her over to the family for burial. However, the baby later recovered and her skin turned rosy.

On April 27th, a large number of family members of pregnant woman Pham Thi Ly (Ha Son commune, Ha Trung district, Thanh Hoa province) gathered at Ha Trung District General Hospital demanding that the hospital clearly explain the cause and disciplinary action against those involved in the negligent delivery that nearly resulted in the newborn girl being buried alive.

Relatives of the pregnant woman, Ly, gathered at Ha Trung General Hospital demanding that the hospital take responsibility for the incident. Photo: Lam Son.

On the morning of April 26th, Ms. Ly experienced abdominal pain, so her family took her to the commune's health station. Suspecting premature labor, the health officials transferred her to Ha Trung District General Hospital. At 1 PM that same day, Ly gave birth to a baby girl.

"When the baby was born, it was still breathing, but the doctors didn't provide emergency care or transfer it to a higher-level hospital. They concluded the baby would die within minutes. They told the family to take it home to prepare for its funeral," a family representative said.

Upon receiving notification from the hospital, Ly's family purchased a small ceramic urn for the burial. However, seeing that the baby was still breathing, the grandfather did not bring it inside. After nearly 30 minutes of traveling from Ha Trung General Hospital to home, the baby's health did not deteriorate as predicted by the doctor, and her skin showed signs of regaining its pink color. The family quickly called a taxi to take the baby to Thanh Hoa Provincial Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital for emergency treatment. Currently, the newborn's health is stable.

The leaders of Ha Trung Hospital acknowledged the incident as an unfortunate mistake and apologized to the child's family. Photo: Lam Son.

Speaking to the press, Mr. Tong Van Minh (Deputy Director of Ha Trung General Hospital) apologized on behalf of the hospital to the family of the pregnant woman Ly, stating that this was a "regrettable incident".

He explained that Ms. Ly gave birth two months prematurely and her water broke, so in similar cases, the hospital usually transfers the baby to a higher-level facility because it lacks the equipment for incubator therapy. Ms. Ly's birth at the hospital was a "rare case." "In any case, the baby's survival is a blessing for both the family and the hospital," Mr. Minh explained.

Mr. Nguyen The Hong, Director of Ha Trung General Hospital, said that the hospital had met with the family and hoped for their understanding. "Due to our staff's failure to fully anticipate the situation, there was some negligence; we will learn from this experience," the hospital director said.

Ha Trung District General Hospital. Photo: Lam Son.

On the afternoon of April 28, Le Huu Uyen, spokesperson for the Thanh Hoa Department of Health, stated that the Department had not yet received a report from Ha Trung District General Hospital, but would investigate the matter.

According to VNE