A Cape Town teen was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a bladder infection, only to give birth a few hours later.
|||Cape Town - Suffering from abdominal pains, a 17-year-old Mitchells Plain girl was taken to the Melomed Hospital and diagnosed with a bladder infection, only to give birth to a baby boy a few hours later.
Now Micaela October’s father believes the private hospital group was negligent in not picking up that his daughter was in labour.
Eddie October said if he had not asked for a second opinion shortly after Micaela was seen at Melomed Hospital on May 10, she would probably have given birth at home.
But Melomed Hospital has denied that Micaela was misdiagnosed. It said she had a bladder infection, and at the time she was seen by doctors at the hospital she was not in labour and her membranes had not ruptured.
The family were aware that Micaela was pregnant, but did not know when she was due. An ultrasound had been booked for May 10.
During the night of May 9, Micaela complained about pain, and at about 1am her family took her to Melomed Hospital.
October said: “
The doctor said she had a bladder infection and gave her only a few Panado tablets. We were given a script to buy antibiotics. We went home, but Micaela still complained of the sharp abdominal pains.”
Later that same day, she went to a private doctor for an ultrasound, and was told she was 32 weeks pregnant.
He recommended that she make a booking for antenatal care with the Mitchells Plain Maternity Obstetrics Unit.
After she was examined at the unit, she was told she was already in labour. She was then transferred to the Mowbray Maternity Hospital where she gave birth to a boy weighing 1.9kg. He has been named Mason.
Melomed spokesman Randal Pedro confirmed that the teenager had been treated at the hospital’s emergency unit for “urinary tract infection in accordance with history given and the findings of the symptoms, tests and examination conducted”.
Pedro said at the time of the examination there were no signs that Micaela was in labour.
But October is unconvinced.
“Should she not have gone to the Maternity Obstetrics Unit, I don’t know what would have happened to her – she probably would have given birth at home, something which would have put her and the baby’s life in danger as none of us at home are trained to deliver babies.”
Pedro said
after investigation of the complaint, the hospital found Micaela’s GP had also not found any signs of active labour.
“And in keeping with the advice of the doctor at Melomed Mitchells Plain he urged the patient to book at the MOU for antenatal care as soon as possible.”
sipokazi.fokazi@inl.co.za
Cape Argus