Ewha hospital rejects questions over newborns' deaths
Investigators search Ewha Womans University Medical Center in western Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
Ewha Womans University Medical Center in southwestern Seoul refused to answer any questions from the parents of four premature babies who died two weeks ago for unknown reasons.
The families of the newborns who died in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit Dec. 16 asked the hospital about the incident Thursday, only to be snubbed by President Chung Hye-won.
“Police and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) are investigating the case and we have been cooperating with them,” Chung said in a statement. “Investigators will look into suspicions, including the questions you have. We believe we all need to wait for the results of the investigation. Please wait a little longer. Again, we apologize for what happened.”
The families reacted with dismay.
“The questions we asked were not about the cause of the incident, which is under scrutiny,” they said in a statement to the press. “We asked what happened inside the care unit during the timeframe between when the babies started showing symptoms and their deaths. But the hospital refused to answer that simple question.”
On the same day, police searched the hospital for the second time to confiscate its medical devices and records.
According to investigators, hospital officials acknowledged one of the four babies was infected with Rotavirus, a contagious virus that can cause gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines), Dec. 11, but did not isolate the baby. The officials also did not inform the parents of the condition. Investigators are looking into whether they took proper actions to combat the virus.
Given the virus was found in all the deceased babies, investigators reckon the facility’s poor level of hygiene may be a key factor in their deaths.
According to the families, the hospital also failed to properly respond when the heart rate of one of the babies started to soar; it reached 203 at 3:30 p.m., which is far above the normal rate of around 150. That baby eventually died around 8:50 p.m.
The families accused hospital officials of doing nothing to treat the baby until the doctor in charge came in at around 6:15 p.m. But it was already too late.
The ongoing investigation may affect the government’s grading of the institution, currently designated as one of the highest-ranking general hospitals in the country.
Many people have already left the hospital due to their loss of trust.