Sick baby boy in Medan sent away from hospital

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Sutarno, 40, and Nurliah, 38, could only feel sad and helpless when their son, who is just two-days-old, was rejected by Pirngadi General Hospital in Medan due to a defect on his head.

They brought their baby back home after the municipal hospital refused to treat him.

Nurliah said their fifth child was born at home on the night of July 27 at about 10:30 p.m. with the help of a midwife. The baby was born in a healthy condition, but there was a big lump on the right side of his head.

Worried about it, Sutarno and four of his relatives decided to take the baby to be diagnosed and treated at the hospital the next day.

However, when they arrived at the hospital's emergency unit, the doctors and nurses refused to let them in. Only two female relatives, Sutarno's mother and sister-in-law, were allowed to enter the hospital.

The baby's grandmother, Nuraini, 49, said that while they were in the room, several doctors and nurses were crowding over the baby.

Nuraini had initially intended to show the defect on the baby's head to the doctors, but they prevented her from removing the cloth, which was covering the baby's head, saying they feared that reporters would see it.

While they were in the emergency room, neither of the doctors or nurses examined the baby nor tried to help him, said Nuraini.

She said they gave the family a suggestion to take the baby home because it was healthy.

"There's nothing wrong with the baby. There're many germs here. It's better for you to take the baby home so that it won't be infected by disease," said Nuraini, quoting one of the doctors.

Head of the medical service department of Pirngadi hospital, Amran Lubis, when asked for confirmation, said he had only learned about the matter recently.

He said the hospital would take serious action against doctors or nurses who refused to treat patients, because as medical workers, they acted in contradiction to their obligation to treat sick people.

"I promise to investigate this case thoroughly. If there is proof that any of the doctors or nurses refused to treat the patient, we will dismiss them," Amran told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

After being rejected by the hospital, the family took the baby back home where the baby was taken care of by his parents for a day, but he cries continuously.

"I was worried about his health because he cries the whole night, and that's why we decided to take our baby to the Haj Hospital," said Nurliah, who sells lontong (rice steamed in banana leaf and served with vegetable gravy).

Sutarno later took his son to the Haj Hospital in Medan on Friday, where the baby was examined and is now in an incubator under observation by doctors.

A doctor at the hospital, Siti Endah Hutami, stated that the lump on the baby's head was a congenital defect acquired while still in the mother's womb, or in medical terms meningoencephalitis. "We are still conducting diagnosis on the baby, but it (the defect) must be removed," said Siti.