A 31-day-old premature infant choked to death last year due to lung hemorrhage after what her parents claim was negligence on the part of the hospital staff, who could have saved her life but failed to act in time, Israel Hayom reported.
Recently, the parents filed a suit in the Central District Court, suing the Health Ministry, which is responsible for public hospitals, including Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, where their daughter was born. According to the suit, their daughter was born after 28 weeks of pregnancy, weighing a single kilogram (2.2 pounds). At eight days, she was taken off the intravenous feeding tube and began to gain weight.
Later, a echocardiogram was performed, and revealed a hole in the passageway between her pulmonary artery and aorta. Experts from the prosecution claimed that the hole could close on its own, in the baby's first six weeks of life, but due to the great risks involved, it was not recommended to depend on that. Instead, preventive medications should be given in order to help the hole close, or follow-up exams should be performed in order to detect complications.
Israel Hayom quoted a spokesperson for Barzilai, who said: "The lawsuit has not yet been shown to the medical center. When it is shown to us, it will be examined as appropriate in these instances. The hospital prefers to issue its response in court."