Husband faults doctor in wife's childbirth death
Updated: 2009-10-14 07:48
(HK Edition)
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HONG KONG: The husband of the Shenzhen woman who died in childbirth at the Baptist Hospital has leveled criticism at his wife's attending physician, after meeting the doctor and hospital administrators yesterday.
Chen Yaohui emerged from the meeting at the hospital in Kowloon Tong, speaking to waiting reporters that Lam How-kit, the obstetrician attending Chen's wife Wang Fengxia, seemed ill-prepared for the meeting and reluctant to attend.
"Barely 15 minutes into the meeting, he said he had a lot things to do and if there's anything (we want to talk about), we should communicate with the hospital," Chen said.
Lam was obviously reluctant to be there and didn't want the meeting to continue. "He displayed that feeling at least twice," Chen said. "I cannot accept such an attitude. I feel this is very disrespectful to me and to my wife."
The meeting was arranged by the Baptist Hospital, where Lam is registered to practice.
Chen said though he was satisfied with the hospital's arrangement in setting up the meeting, he was unhappy with the hospital's "no human error" declaration at a Sunday press conference.
Though he is not a medical professional and is unable to judge whether the hospital explanation is sound, it's "irresponsible" for the hospital to declare a conclusion so hurriedly, Chen said.
He also raised a question about a document presented to him after his wife's death. Failing to understand the meaning of the document, he refused to sign.
"Shouldn't all the documents be signed before the operation? I don't understand why the hospital wants me to sign a document afterward," he asked.
Chen said he had made four requests to the hospital.
The first was for the hospital to arrange for his wife's family to come to Hong Kong and meet the doctors.
He said he will not sign away his right to take legal proceedings.
As Chen prepared to declare the remaining two points, a man accompanying him counselled him into silence.
Chen later disclosed that another request was for the hospital to hand over medical records of his wife since she was admitted to hospital.
He also said the hospital had agreed to provide the medical records as soon as possible and set up another meeting after Wang's parents came to Hong Kong.
As to his seeking damages, he said, "we are talking about compensation at the current stage."
A hospital spokesperson later told media that it is making arrangements requested by Chen and reiterated it will accept the coroner's ruling.
The hospital failed to respond to China Daily's enquiries.
Wang, 33, was admitted into the private Baptist Hospital to give birth to her second child on Friday night. She was given syntocinon by drip to induce labor as instructed by Lam the next morning but became unresponsive after one and a half hours. She underwent an emergency cesarean section at 9:50 am. A 2.9-kg boy was delivered but Wang was declared dead after two hours in intensive care.
At the press conference on Sunday, CEO Ray Chen Chung-yi said that Wang suffered from a rare condition called amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) and denied any human error.
China Daily
(HK Edition 10/14/2009 page1)