JOHOR BARU – A 73-day-old premature baby girl in the care of a government hospital here, fell off an incubator due to the negligence of the attending nurse.
This was confirmed by Johor Health Department Director Dr Mohtar Pungut.
He said an inquiry revealed that the nurse was negligent and failed to follow the standard operating procedures outlined in the nursing procedure manual.
According to reports in the New Straits Times, the nurse had apparently failed to ensure the baby’s safety during the procedure, leading to the unfortunate incident.
The mother had earlier undergone an emergency Caesarean procedure as the baby was preterm and breech during labour.
A baby is breech when they are positioned feet or bottom first in the uterus.
The baby Noorazeyan Suhaily Sukaimi weighed 930g, was 26 weeks and a day old when she was delivered on May 7.
She was placed in an incubator in the hospital after delivery as she was underweight and needed medical care in order to gain additional weight.
Reports said the nurse on duty at Ward 8A, Room 2 conducted the top-to-toe routine procedure on 12 infants in the ward, while there was also another nurse in the ward.
“Top-to-toe”, also known as “topping and tailing” is a procedure where infants are cleaned. It starts from the infant’s face, neck, hands, and bottom, including their nappy area.
The nurse in question performed the procedure on three infants, said Dr Mohtar.
After carrying out the procedure successfully on two infants, she proceeded to do it on Noorazayan Suhaily.
“However, while conducting the procedure, she heard a sound indicating something had fallen.
“The baby had fallen and was lying face-up on the floor,” he said.
He said the nurse immediately picked the baby up and placed her back in the incubator and medical attention was immediately given.
“She had a bulging anterior fontanelle and a hematoma on the right forehead.”
In layman’s terms, it means there was a swell in her head area and a blue-black bruise on her right forehead.
On July 17, the hospital’s medical specialist met Noorazeyan Suhaily's parents, to explain to them her situation.
They expressed their concerns and were logically distressed over the incident. They wanted to meet the nurse and demanded that she apologise to them.
Dr Mohtar said the hospital’s management declined their request, as it was the hospital’s procedure for police to complete their investigations first.
Noorazeyan Suhaily’s condition had stabilised by July 18. She was feeding well without the need of oxygen nor had the swelling on her head worsened.
The hospital administration has assured the parents that investigations are ongoing, and appropriate action will be taken based on its findings. – The Vibes, July 22, 2023
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