Public concern has been raised after three infants died on the same day at a health centre in Quang Nam Province.
According to the report from the Health Centre of Phuoc Son District, on September 4, a local woman, Ho Thi Pho, was admitted to the centre to deliver a baby. Pho had a fever at the time of admittance. After detecting complications, doctors advised Pho's family to take her to a central hospital but the family refused. Pho gave birth to a boy, but he died soon after. Pho's health also got worse and had to be transferred to Quang Nam General Hospital.
The second case was that of Ho Thi Ip, who gave birth to a healthy girl, but in the next day, the girl had problems breathing. Doctors thought the girl had neonatal pneumonia from choking on milk and proposed to transfer her to the central hospital. However, the girl also died quickly after.
Ho Thi Tieu Diep was also brought to the centre in labour and with a fever. She gave birth to a boy, and even though he initially registered a heartbeat, he took no breaths, and died about 16 minutes later.
Leaders of the health centre had called all doctors involved in these cases to follow up on the exact causes of death. Luu Thanh Tuan, deputy head of the centre, said the first baby died because of his mother's history of illness and infection. In the second case, the baby was still determined to have choked on milk and the third baby was premature and had congenital digestive problems.
The centre did not report the cases until September 9. However, Nguyen Van Hai, director of Quang Nam Department of Health, said he only received an oral report. "We must have an official report then carry out autopsies before coming to any final conclusion," he said.
On September 11, the department sent a team to work with Phuoc Son Health Centre on these cases.
