"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 care unit. The infant's parents claim that the incident occurred 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, a mother, Ms. A, visited the newborn care unit of a maternity hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, around 2 a.m. on December 2 to breastfeed her baby.

However, Ms. A found red injuries and bruises around the right eye of her 4-day-old son, Baby B. She reported that there were no injuries or abnormal signs in that area during the previous feeding session about three hours earlier.

Ms. A stated, "I asked the three nurses on duty at the time about what happened, but none of them could provide a clear answer." She continued, "Later, I was only told that it might have been caused by the blanket or heat rash, and the possibility of it being caused artificially was ruled out." Ms. A added, "Even though the incident occurred in the newborn care unit, the hospital repeatedly said they could not determine the exact cause. The hospital said they would take better care of me and my baby in the future, but there was neither a sincere apology nor any follow-up action."

However, it is difficult to determine the exact time and circumstances of Baby B's injury. This is because there is no closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed in the newborn care unit. Under current medical law, CCTV must be installed in operating rooms where general anesthesia is administered, but this regulation does not apply to newborn care units.

Ms. A emphasized, "Under the current system, even if an accident occurs in the newborn care unit, it is difficult to determine whether the hospital was at fault because there is no CCTV. CCTV installation in newborn care units should be 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 suggestive of contusions and required two weeks of outpatient care.

Fortunately, the injury was not severe, but Baby B's parents reported the incident to the National Petition System, seeing it as an accident caused by 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 staff negligence or circumstances that could be considered an accident.

A hospital representative said, "We investigated the overall care process, including whether the injury could have occurred while washing 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."