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Overcrowding caused the deaths of more than 50 babies at a Manila
hospital earlier this year, according to the findings of an inquiry
released Friday.
The inquiry headed by former Health Secretary
Jaime Galvez-Tan found that the Ospital ng Makati’s neo-natal unit
had accepted too many patients and this led to poor sanitary
procedures.
The Health department said there were 55 deaths
of infants from neo-natal sepsis between January and June with at
least 23 deaths in May alone.
The hospital’s neo-natal unit was closed due
to the illnesses but has since been allowed to reopen.
The spread of the disease “indicates breakdown
in infection control, owing largely to the absence of consistent
infection control practices,” the investigators concluded.
“Given the fact that the [hospital] is
oriented towards service, its management and staff have been
inclined to accommodate as many patients as possible,” the inquiry
said.
“Without realizing it, however, their good
intentions somehow compromised the hospital’s efficiency because
its capacity was often stretched beyond tolerable limits,” Galvez-Tan
concluded.
Eric Tayag, of the National Epidemiology Center,
said a parallel investigation by the Health department had reached
similar conclusions.
“We shared the same findings and
recommendation with the fact-finding team created by the city
government of Makati,” Tayag added.
Ospital ng Makati officer-in-charge Doctor Perry
Peralta said they have already instituted preventive measures to
ensure there will be no repeat of the incident.
As to the liability of the hospital officials,
Galvez-Tan said the city legal officer has already issued a
memorandum to five high-ranking officials to answer their questions
as to why the outbreak was not prevented.
Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati said charges would
be filed against those found responsible.
-- AFP
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