CAPIZ – The management of the Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital (RMPH) denied not giving attention to a woman who gave birth at the medical facility.
There were reports that Rhoda Donato Amago of Barangay Dinginan, Roxas City gave birth at the hospital hallway.
In a statement, the management acknowledged the anxiety and concern of Amago but also issued a clarification.
Amago arrived at the Triage Area of RMPH at 8:20 a.m. on Nov. 9, complaining of labor pains. She was assessed and was found to be 40 weeks and five days pregnant.
Her case was immediately referred to the Resident on Duty who was, at the time, performing a Pelvic Laparotomy procedure at the operating room of the hospital and could not tend to the patient at the time.
The management explained that during the pandemic, only one doctor is assigned per department. However, as per hospital protocol, the condition of the patient was regularly relayed to the Resident on Duty.
The patient was immediately placed on a stretcher at the Triage Area, her vital signs taken, and constant monitoring of her condition was undertaken by the Nurse on Duty.
The managed added as per protocols of prenatal care during the pandemic, pre-partum patients are advised to schedule an RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test prior to their expected date of delivery.
However, because the patient was not able to have an RT-PCR test, a Rapid Antigen Test was instead undertaken to determine if she was infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The purpose of this test is to ensure that no cross infection occurs between infected patients who are placed in a separate COViD-19 ward in the hospital. Fortunately, her results came back negative.
The hospital management further stated that when the Resident on Duty examined the patient, she was already fully dilated and delivered her baby at 10:20 a.m. via normal spontaneous vaginal delivery, after which, routine newborn care was done on the newborn.
Upon delivery, according to the hospital, the baby was observed to have meconium stains, the first bowel movement of the newborn inside the mother’s womb, a not uncommon occurrence in deliveries of this nature but was managed accordingly.
“It is not true that the patient was not catered to at the Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital. In fact, she was attended by nurses, nursing attendants, and a doctor during the two-hour period she was at the hospital. Her condition was constantly monitored and relayed to the Resident on Duty all throughout and until her normal delivery. All care and treatment possible were given to the patient at the hospital,” the management stressed./PN
