▲ The Gyeonggi Gunpo Police Station
Police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of death of an infant who passed away approximately two months after falling into critical condition immediately following birth at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province.
According to the Gyeonggi Gunpo Police Station and other sources on June 16, the infant, referred to as B, was born at Hospital A on April 15. Shortly after birth, the baby showed signs of respiratory distress of unknown cause and was transferred to a university hospital. The infant passed away at 12:49 a.m. on June 13, 59 days later.
At the university hospital, the infant was diagnosed with conditions including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and had been receiving treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit before succumbing to the condition.
Following the infant's death, police plan to investigate whether there was any negligence on the part of the medical staff at the clinic. If negligence is confirmed, they intend to apply charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
A police official stated, "We will examine whether there was any negligence by the medical staff through procedures such as questioning the complainant and reviewing relevant medical records," adding, "If evidence of inadequate care is found, we will also verify charges related to professional negligence resulting in death."
Previously, the infant's mother, C (32), filed a complaint with the police on June 8, while the baby was still in a coma, accusing the medical staff at Hospital A of professional negligence resulting in injury and violations of the Medical Service Act.
The bereaved family claims it was a medical accident, arguing that the medical staff's initial emergency response to the baby's respiratory issues and the decision to transfer the infant to a higher-level hospital were inadequate, causing them to miss the "golden time" for treatment.
The mother appealed, saying, "I still cannot believe that our first child has left this world," and added, "Please uncover the truth behind why our baby, who was born at a full-term weight of 3.72 kg with no special issues detected until just before delivery, ended up passing away."
On the other hand, the hospital maintains that they took active measures, including oxygen supply using a manual resuscitator (bag-valve mask) immediately after birth, and that all procedures were followed according to the manual, with no evidence of medical malpractice identified to date.
(Photo: Provided by Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.