SHAH ALAM: A woman whose baby died shortly after being delivered at Kajang Hospital is suing the medical officer who attended to her for negligence.
Noor Hidayu Hashim, 21, said in her suit that her baby, who was born through a ventouse delivery, had fractures to his shoulders and skull as a result of the procedure.
(Ventouse is a vacuum device used to assist the delivery of a baby when labour has not progressed well.)
She named the attending medical officer Wan Sharuliza Wan Shaharan, the hospital director as well as the Government as defendants in the suit filed through the firm of M.K. Othman & Co on Tuesday.
In her suit, Noor Hidayu claimed that her 28-year-old husband Kamaruddin Mohd Yasin, a prisons officer, had brought her to the hospital on April 11 around 3am when she complained of lower abdominal pains and that her water bag had broken.
She said she was brought to the delivery room around 9am that day where the medical officer examined her, following which a normal delivery was attempted.
Noor Hidayu claimed that after several unsuccessful attempts, the medical officer informed her that she would deliver the baby using a ventouse.
She delivered a baby boy weighing 4.75kg was delivered using that procedure around 6pm.
However, Noor Hidayu said the medical officer, without going into any details, then informed her that the baby had some complications and had to be brought to the intensive care unit.
She said she was informed of her baby’s death around 9.30pm by another hospital staff, who also showed her x-ray images showing the fractures to his shoulders and skull.
She suffered great trauma as a result of the ordeal.
Noor Hidayu, who is diabetic, claimed among others that the medical officer had been negligent when she failed determine the baby’s actual size and take necessary precautions to deal with possible complications arising from her medical condition.
She also claimed the medical officer had been negligent in failing to ensure the procedure was suitable for her.
Noor Hidayu also said that the hospital director and the Government had been negligent in their failure to provide trustworthy, dedicated and responsible doctors and held them responsible for the medical officer’s negligence under the doctrine of vicarious liability.
She is seeking over RM2mil in damages.
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