"There Was Nothing Three Hours Ago"... 4-Day-Old Baby Found with Facial Injuries in Newborn Nursery

Difficult to Determine Incident Details Without CCTV
Parents Claim "Hospital Negligence to Blame"
Hospital States "No Evidence of Medical Staff Negligence"

At a maternity hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, bruises and injuries were discovered on the face of a 4-day-old infant in the newborn nursery. The infant's parents claim that the incident was due to the hospital's negligence and are considering legal action.

Injuries on the face of a 4-day-old infant. Yonhap News, Reader

According to Yonhap News on the 16th, the mother, Ms. A, visited the newborn nursery at a maternity hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, around 2 a.m. on December 2 to breastfeed.

However, Ms. A discovered a red wound and bruise around the right eye of her 4-day-old baby, referred to as Baby B. She stated that there were no wounds or abnormal signs in that area when she last breastfed about three hours earlier.

Ms. A said, "I asked the three nurses on duty at the time about the circumstances, but none of them knew exactly what had happened." She added, "Later, I was only told that it might have been caused by friction with a blanket or by heat rash, and the possibility of it being caused intentionally was ruled out." She continued, "Even though the incident occurred in the newborn nursery, the hospital repeatedly stated that they could not determine the exact cause. The hospital said they would take better care of (the mother and child) in the future, but there was no sincere apology or follow-up action."

However, it is difficult to confirm the exact time and circumstances of Baby B's injury. This is because there are no closed-circuit (CC) TVs installed in the newborn nursery. Under current medical law, CCTV installation is mandatory in operating rooms where general anesthesia is used, but this regulation does not apply to newborn nurseries.

Ms. A emphasized, "Under the current system, even if an incident occurs in the newborn nursery, it is difficult to determine whether the hospital was at fault because there is no CCTV. CCTV installation in newborn nurseries should be made mandatory to prevent such incidents in the future."

Ms. A has since been discharged from the maternity hospital, and on December 5, a university hospital advised that Baby B showed symptoms consistent with suspected bruising and would require two weeks of home care.

Fortunately, the injury was not severe, but Baby B's parents filed a complaint with the National Petition System, viewing the incident as a result of the hospital's negligence. They are also considering filing a police report.

In response, the hospital stated that it had conducted an investigation involving the staff on duty and department heads at the time, but found no evidence of medical error or circumstances that would indicate an accident.

A hospital representative said, "We investigated the overall care process, including whether the injury could have occurred while bathing the baby, but found no unusual incidents or mistakes by the medical staff. We apologized to the parents and suggested finding an amicable solution, but this was not accepted and the parents mentioned legal action." The representative added, "If the hospital's fault is confirmed in the future, we will take appropriate responsibility. We will also strengthen staff training to prevent similar cases from occurring."