Infant brought to life, later dies

9 May 2014 12:24 pm

The infant born prematurely at the Kurunegala Hospital during the nurses’ strike was pronounced dead but later discovered to be alive had died shattering the hopes of everyone, Kurunegala Hospital Director Dr. Palitha D. Yapa said.   

The infant’s mother Chandanie Kulathunga, who is a resident of Periyakulam in Anamaduwa entered the Anamaduwa hospital after completing 26 weeks of gestation for the delivery of her baby.  As her case appeared to be a matter of concern she was transferred to the Kurunegala hospital where she had delivered the baby on April 30. The infant prematurely born was considered as having been aborted in medical parlance.

The infant appeared to have developed several complications including the dysfunction of several organs and the doctors had informed the mother that the infant was still born. The infant had also not received the attention it required because most of the nurses were on strike. However Kurunegala Teaching Hospital Paediatrician Dr. P.M. Wijewardene had stepped in and resuscitated the infant. The mother meanwhile was not aware that the baby was after all not dead.

Despite the continued intensive care by the doctors the infant died after seven days. (Pushpa Weerasekera)