Welcoming a newborn into this world without any health issues is arguably the most blissful moment in a couple’s life.
This was the case with two young parents, Gaven Dahms and his girlfriend Taylin-Leigh Shellard following the delivery of their baby daughter on 14 December 2019. However, their joy quickly turned into trauma and distress when their baby allegedly mysteriously suffered a broken arm while in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a local private hospital.
The teenage parents, who are planning to take Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital to task, have accused the hospital of negligence and failing to take responsibility for the injury.
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“We are devastated first-time parents. Our daughter was born at Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital on 14 December 2019 at 9.17 am. She weighed 1,990kg with a length of 43,5cm at 37 weeks and two days gestational age. She was born healthy, but because of her weight, she was taken to the NICU directly for further treatment. She had to gain weight and reach at least 2kg to be discharged. She also had to be able to finish the volume of milk required for a newborn,” Gaven explained.
He said the hospital kept her for about three weeks to monitor her progress and they visited her regularly. Gaven said prior to the discharge date, which was between 11 and 13 January 2020, they were met with devastating news when they visited their baby.
“When we arrived for our visit on 8 January at 4.30 pm, we received the most terrible, devastating and heartbreaking news. We were told that at 1.30 pm the nurse was struggling a lot to soothe her and decided to give her a bath. When she undressed her, she discovered that our daughter’s right arm was swollen,” he explained. The nurse called for the NICU manager to come and have a look.
“The unit manager requested that an X-ray be done immediately, which showed that her right arm was broken,” he explained.
Gaven said the most frustrating part was that the hospital distanced itself from the incident. “There has been no explanation as to how and why our baby’s right arm was broken,” he claimed.
An orthopedic surgeon at the hospital told them that the baby’s arm would require a splint to realign it.
This young couple is seeking answers desperately. “The pediatrician who had referred our daughter to NICU spoke to us during his rounds on 9 January at 8.10 am. He explained to us the reasons why a baby’s arm could fracture, but the X-ray shows no signs of her bones being brittle,” Gaven said.
The couple believes there is only one explanation for their baby’s injury. “Our daughter was handled in such a way that she suffered a broken arm,” he said.
Adding salt to their wounds, he said his girlfriend has had hardly any sleep since their baby was discharged due to the excruciating pain the little one is suffering. “The hospital only gave pain killers, and we think she has become immune to them because she cries even after taking them,” Taylin-Leigh lamented, also accusing the hospital of undermining them because of the mere fact that they are teenage parents.
“They didn’t show empathy about what had happened to our daughter, instead all they cared about were our lives,” she alleged.
Adri Botes, the Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital Manager responded to the allegations. “Our priority is the quality care and safety of our patients. We are therefore extremely concerned that a matter of this nature has occurred. We understand the concern from the patient’s parents and are committed to making emotional support available at this time. The patient was treated and discharged from the NICU by the treating doctor. Aligned to our protocols, we engaged with the parents and treating doctor and conducted an internal investigation. Having considered the matter, we are unable to find negligence on the part of the hospital,” Botes stated.
