Mother mourns the loss of her baby
“My daughter never got the chance to live!”
Little Meryem was born far too early in Graz. Nevertheless, she wanted to live, screaming and kicking after birth. Despite her mother's pleas, she never received medical help! Now the public prosecutor's office is investigating. For gross negligence manslaughter.
"It's about justice for my daughter!" Aida Ö. fights back tears as she tells "Krone" what she witnessed in the maternity ward at Graz University Hospital in May of this year. She immediately realized that something was wrong when the contractions and bleeding started. Much too early, as Aida was only 23 weeks pregnant.
"Your baby won't make it"
Mrs. Ö. was already told at the preliminary examination that her daughter would probably not make it. When the expectant mother was admitted at 3.17 a.m., blood was taken and the attending nurse spoke to the doctor on the phone. She is also said to have emphasized that the baby would not make it, but would have to be born in the normal way.
"My daughter was screaming and moving"
In the delivery room, Aida Ö. struggled with unspeakable pain, a midwife stood by her side. But only the midwife. No doctor is said to have been present during the entire birth process. Suddenly, the unexpected happened: "My daughter screamed and also moved," says the grieving young woman.
Despite pleading for medical care, she was left alone with the midwife. Her baby was placed on her chest where it died eleven minutes later, wrapped in a towel and gasping for air, says Ö.
Public prosecutor's office investigates
Now Aida Ö. wants to take action against the hospital, the public prosecutor's office is apparently investigating gross negligence. Meanwhile, the woman who lost her child no longer understands the world: "Every baby has the right to be given the chance to fight for its life." She now wants to use her story to prevent something similar from happening to other mothers. She wants justice for her little Meryem.
I thought it would get easier with time. But it gets even harder. Especially when there are facts, but you're made to look stupid.
Aida Ö. im Gespräch mit der „Krone“
"I don't want money from the hospital"
According to Ö., the hospital was determined to note "stillbirth" in the documents, which the young Styrian woman resisted. They also wanted to persuade her that she had been under the influence of nitrous oxide - and therefore could not know whether the baby was still alive at birth or not. According to Aida Ö., she was also offered money to settle the matter out of court. "But I don't want money, just justice," Aida emphasizes.
The baby was apparently still developing and had a chance of survival! Another life was snuffed out by another system error, something has to change!
Anwältin Karin Prutsch-Lang
Bild: Jürgen Fuchs
Her lawyer Karin Prutsch-Lang is also convinced: "The baby was obviously further along in its development and had a chance of survival! Another life was extinguished by another system error, something has to change!"
Hospital: "Baby could not be saved"
Everything went according to plan at the hospital. Life-saving lung maturation with medication was no longer possible due to the imminent birth. "The actions of the doctors in the Clinical Department of Obstetrics and the Clinical Department of Neonatology complied with the medical guidelines (comfort care) and the rules of medical practice in every respect."
The most discussed bed in Austria is not found in hotels, but in hospitals - the intensive care bed! Not even the Ministry of Health knows how many of these are actually available, as responsibility lies with the federal states.
Intensive care beds cost 880,000 euros per year
The "Krone" went in search of clues and found what it was looking for: 2471 beds were registered from Bodensee to Neusiedler See (see chart), some of them without religious and private hospitals. While around 1500 doctors and 7200 nursing staff are employed in intensive care units, it remains unclear whether these figures are sufficient to actually operate the beds. The recommended staffing ratio is strict: at least 1.5 to 3 qualified nursing staff must be available for each intensive care bed - depending on the severity of the cases. The costs are enormous: it costs around 880,000 euros to operate an intensive care bed.
Next week there will be a care summit with Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) and the federal states.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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