A midwife in Xuyi County, China, has caused outrage after accidentally severing a newborn’s finger during a C-section procedure, leading to severe backlash from the family and an investigation into the hospital’s practices.
According to Beijing News, the incident occurred at Xuyi County People’s Hospital on 25 Dec last year, when Ms Zhang (name transliterated), the mother, was undergoing surgery.
According to the infant’s father, Mr Sheng (name transliterated), the midwife initially claimed that the baby’s finger was severed because the newborn was “moving around”.
However, Mr Sheng firmly laid the blame on the hospital for what he described as a “low-level mistake”.
He revealed that while his baby was born at 10.30 am, he was not informed of the injury until noon.
A doctor at the hospital explained that, while cutting the umbilical cord, the midwife had accidentally severed the infant’s finger.
Source: HK01
Following the injury, the baby was transferred to multiple hospitals due to the complexity of the surgery required for such a small patient.
After a series of procedures, the infant was finally treated at Wuxi No. 9 People’s Hospital, where surgeons successfully reattached the left middle finger.
The discharge records later confirmed that the injury was an “incomplete amputation of the left middle finger”.
According to the Xuyi County Health Commission’s statement on Monday (5 Jan), the injury was confirmed to have been caused by a “serious operational error”.
As a result, the midwife has been suspended from her duties and stripped of performance bonuses pending a full investigation.
The institution has issued apologies to the family and has covered the initial medical and transfer costs, reported by HK01.
Mr Sheng has submitted the necessary documents to the local Health and Wellness Commission to apply for a medical accident appraisal.
The hospital has reached out to the family, informing them that the compensation would be calculated after the child’s recovery.
Source: HK01
Officials have acknowledged that the incident highlighted significant gaps in medical safety management. As a result, a county-wide overhaul of medical safety procedures is now underway.
Though the baby was discharged on 31 Dec last year and is now in the healing stage, Mr Sheng expressed concern that the child is still experiencing frequent pain and distress.
The finger, stabilised with a surgical pin, continues to cause discomfort for the infant.
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Featured image adapted from HK01.