A bungling midwife accidentally severed a newborn’s finger while cutting the umbilical cord.
The horror blunder was revealed by the infant’s father following the caesarean section.
Sheng Zhe Wei Wang told local media: “By about 10:30am, the baby had already been born.
“But it wasn’t until after midday that someone from the hospital – the attending doctor, the head of obstetrics and others – came to inform us there had been a problem.”
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She claimed: “When the midwife cut the umbilical cord, and that she had cut my son’s left middle finger.
“At the time, the hospital played it down.
“It was only when I saw it myself that I realised the baby’s finger had already been cut off, with only some skin still attached.”
The hospital in Huai’an, eastern China, said the baby was too young to operate on, so he was rushed to a larger facility in Wuxi.
Surgeons told the family the boy’s finger bone was fractured and the tendons were severed, as reported by Need To Know.
Sheng Zhe Wei Wang newborn son, seen with bandage on hand. (Picture: Jam Press)
“In the end, they inserted steel pins and reconnected the blood vessels, but said the baby was too young and the nerves couldn’t be reconnected,” Mr Sheng said.
“After six or seven days in hospital, we brought the baby back from Wuxi.”
Hospital staff – along with Mr Sheng – initially told his wife it was just a minor injury so as not to distress her after giving birth.
But he said she would inevitably discover the severity of the injury once the bandages were removed.
When Mr Sheng returned to the Huai’an hospital to demand answers, he said the midwife involved “stammered and couldn’t explain clearly, even in front of the police”.
“When we checked the CCTV footage, we found it was a blind spot and nothing could be seen clearly,” he added.
The babys injured finger. (Picture: Jam Press)
“To this day, the hospital still hasn’t explained what exactly happened in the delivery room, or why such a simple procedure as ‘cutting the umbilical cord’ could result in my child’s finger being cut off.
“What makes me even angrier is that the hospital only sent the midwife involved home to ‘reflect’ for a few days before allowing her to return to work as normal.”
The hospital has since said the accident happened because the baby’s hand “suddenly moved”.
The Xuyi County Health Commission released a statement on 5 January describing the midwife’s actions as a “serious operational error”.
It said: “On 31 December, the infant was discharged and is currently in the recovery phase. At present, the midwife involved has been suspended.
“Xuyi County People’s Hospital has repeatedly offered sincere apologies to the child’s family and will take full responsibility for the child’s treatment and rehabilitation.”
Mr Sheng said his son now “struggles even to lift his hand, and at night he wakes crying in pain”.
He asked: “How much will this affect his future growth and development – his studies, work and social life? Will he grow up feeling inferior? Will he be mocked by classmates?
“As a father, I am angry, heartbroken and deeply worried at the same time.”
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