Three years on from the tragic death of newborn Manusiu Amone, an inquest has heard the southwest Sydney hospital where she was born was short staffed and the parents were left to deliver their baby alone.
As ABC News reports, a coronial inquest is currently examining the events surrounding the death of Manusiu at Fairfield hospital on November 25, 2014. Manusiu was born with an umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and that she struggled to breath for about 15-20 minutes, the inquest heard.
“Her breathing seemed short as if she was gasping for air,” father Sam Amone told told Glebe Coroners Court on Monday.
Mother Sharon Amone said there were no medical staff at the birthing room, and that her husband repeatedly rang the buzzer and ran into the hallway seeking help.
“He was pressing the buzzer, no one came,” Ms Amone told the coroners court.
“As soon as she had the baby I just ran outside and just screamed for someone to come,” Mr Amone added. “It seemed like an age.”
As Nine News reports, medical staff removed the umbilical cord from the girl’s neck, but she then began having breathing problems. Manusiu was taken by a midwife to the special care, but could not be revived.
Obstetrics and gynaecology registrar Dr Chee Tan told the inquest that it had been a busy night and that the hospital had been short staffed.
“[U]sually they [the nurses] are understaffed,” Dr Tan said.
“I’ve been doing nights at Fairfield for a few years, so usually if there’s a complications patient, there won’t be enough staff the handle the workload generally.”
The inquest is also examining the role painkillers played in Manusiu’s death.
As news.com.au reports, the inquest heard that Ms Amone was given 150 milligrams of pain-relief drug pethidine before her daughter’s birth. An autopsy found the little girl’s death was most casued by the toxic effects of pethidine.
“Normally we don’t give pethidine late in the labour,” Dr Chee Tan said.
Patrick Rooney, representing the New South Wales Government department, said the hospital had introduced changes and increased staffing in paediatric and midwifery departments.
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