Bruises and cuts were found on the face of a baby just four days after birth in a neonatal unit at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, prompting the parents to raise concerns about the hospital's negligent management.
According to Yonhap News on the 16th, the mother, Ms. A, said she was shocked when she visited the clinic's neonatal unit around 2 a.m. on the 2nd to breastfeed her 4-day-old son, Master B. Three hours earlier at the previous feeding, there were no injuries, but there were red wounds and bruises around Master B's right eye.
Ms. A said, "I asked the three nurses on duty at the time about the circumstances, but none knew for sure," and added, "Only later did I hear it might have been chafing from the blanket or heat rash, and the possibility that it was caused artificially was ruled out," relaying the situation and the hospital's explanation.
She added, "Even though it was an incident that occurred in the neonatal unit, the hospital only repeated that it could not determine the exact cause," and said, "The hospital said it would manage (the mother and child) well going forward, but there was no sincere apology or follow-up action."
Because there is no closed-circuit (CC)TV installed in the neonatal unit, the exact time and specific circumstances under which Master B was injured have not been identified. Under the current Medical Service Act, installing CCTV in operating rooms with general anesthesia is mandatory, but neonatal units are not included.
Ms. A urged reforms, saying, "Under the current system, even if an incident occurs in a neonatal unit, it is difficult to verify hospital negligence because there is no CCTV," and "CCTV installation in neonatal units should be mandatory so that this kind of harm does not occur in the future."
After being discharged from the clinic, Ms. A received an opinion at a university hospital on the 5th that Master B showed symptoms suspected of contusion and would need two weeks of treatment. Although it was not a serious injury, Master B's parents view the incident as caused by poor hospital management and have filed a petition through the national civil complaint portal while also considering a police report.
The hospital said it conducted a sufficient investigation of the staff on duty and department heads at the time but found no indications to conclude negligence or an accident by the medical staff.
A hospital official said, "We investigated the overall management process, including whether an injury occurred while washing the child, but no abnormalities such as medical staff error were confirmed," and added, "We apologized to the parents and proposed finding an amicable solution, but it was not accepted and the parents mentioned legal action."
The official added, "If the hospital's fault is confirmed going forward, we will take responsibility accordingly," while also saying, "We will strengthen staff training to prevent similar cases in the future."