A couple in Antigua and Barbuda is seeking legal advice after discovering a needle embedded in their newborn’s foot—more than a day after being discharged from hospital.
The baby, who had been treated for jaundice and dehydration at Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre’s neonatal intensive care unit, was sent home earlier this week.
The parents said they initially assumed the infant’s irritability was normal. But 24 hours later, while changing a diaper, they found a needle and applicator still lodged in the baby’s foot—apparently overlooked during discharge.
The couple, who said they kept socks on the baby since leaving hospital, described the oversight as deeply distressing. They hope legal action will help prevent similar incidents.
“We don’t want this to happen to another baby,” they said.
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What madness is that?
Make sure send it world wide!!!!!
As a parent of two children, I cannot understand how a mother can not see a needle in your child’s body, earlier that 24 hours. That’s something that should have been seen immediately, because if diapers are changed in a timely manner that would have been found… like wat smh. Parents needs to pay close attention to their infants at all time, same way the staff at the hospital need to do their job effectively and efficiently, and stop just hurry fa go talk name and be on their phones. Slackness on all party’s involved, slack set of adults.
A really bad slip up this was on the part of the hospital staff. I hope a thorough investigation is done and effective steps, oversight and staff supervision are put in place in order to prevent a repeat of this unfortunate incident.
The shortage of nurses is the main issue. Things like this will happen when nurses are overworked due to shortage.
Congratulations! You win dumbest comment of the year.
So it took the parents 24 hours to bathe or undress their newborn? That’s so irresponsible and stupid. You didn’t clean your newborn immediately after leaving the hospital? Health facilities are packed with GERMS!!!Just take that baby back to the NICU so the people who actually cared and looked after that child can help.
Whether they bathe the baby 24 or 72 hours after bringing him home, let’s not overlook the negligence of the health care professionals here. In other countries this cannot fly, why must we turn a blind eye and accept it here in Antigua. Come on now…..we must do better and accept better.
The parents did change the cloths and diapers but did not remove the socks.
Congratulations! You win dumbest comment of the year.
Whether they bathe the baby 24 or 72 hours after bringing him home, let’s not overlook the negligence of the health care professionals here. In other countries this cannot fly, why must we turn a blind eye and accept it here in Antigua. Come on now…..we must do better and accept better.
The parents did change the cloths and diapers but did not remove the socks.
Big up to Pissed mother, well said move to head of the class.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.,…………… STUPID. Parents are looking an easy change. It’s not a needle it’s a piece of plastic. Just return the child to nicu to have it removed
Who put the socks unto the child?
A parent?
B medical staff?
There is such a thing as contributory negligence.
24 hours is a lot of time under the circumstances.
A needle is obvious even with socks on Don’t be to quick to point fingers remember there are four pointing back and the new born may have reason to return to the medical facility in the future.
Pissed Mother and Tanya, stop with your nonesense! Are you blaming the mother?Are you for real? Be thankful the baby is alive because due to the negligence of the staff this baby could have been dead today. How do you know that at the time the needle was seen wasn’t the time it showed up? Needles and flesh don’t agree. Once a needle enters the body and escapes it travels all over and can turn up anywhere. Thank God it appeared in the baby’s foot. What if it had punctured an organ? Hopefully, there’s no internal damage. That’s a high level of negligence on the hospital’s part. I would sue them!
Not surprised. We speak of the SIR LESTER BIRD MEDICAL CENTER. They aren’t good for nothing but negligence and bs. I don’t know how these are people who went to school to study health care.
You don’t know ow what they meant by 24 hours. The parent could have meant that they took home the baby that evening. Then the next morning while changing they notice it. Why the woman won’t change a new born. Look who you jump for first without understanding.
Where are the pictures to prove this incident? Everyone has a phone now even the baby. Supply ANR with pictures and show proof. Show the spot where the needle was! Why didn’t you take the baby back to the hospital to remove the needle? Or you did?
If this was so then this is great negligence but I still question this incident.
Who is the mother and father? Where are they from? What’s their financial status?
Unimaginable for such a long delay before noticing.
Is it two young persons that cannot even care for themselves that’s parenting this child?
Concerned About the facts.
@ Onlooler. It’s not truly a needle it’s more of a hard plastic, it wouldn’t break off, when it’s introduced the metal needle only guides the plastic part in, the needle is then removed. Never seen a case where they break off there designed to stay in place for long periods of time. But it is odd that the nurses or the doctors or the parents didn’t see it. It was negligence by all parties. But being short staff and over worked can cause these kind of errors. This is nothing compared to what I’ve seen, doesn’t make it right but ppl want to get rid of ppl from the already dwindling healthcare we have, things will get worse that way. Our healthcare system needs a shake up. I honestly believe putting people to be minister of an area of a country like health care without the know how on healthcare and healthcare management Is a major issue. On top of the fact that politicians don’t even use our hospital. They fly over seas for anything serious.
These “HeAlTh CaRe PrOfFeSsIoNaLs” are the sickening bone of every patient! All they do is talk and be on phones and not even study the patient. What of this affects the baby more? Ridiculous
Lemme ask a question! The needle wasn’t pointing out in the sock? Okay next, your child leave from the hospital and not change the babies clothes? Hmmmm, I guess the nurses aren’t the only ones showing negligence here.
Let’s all be glad the baby is ALIVE and well. Yes the needle was in the foot, OBVIOUSLY for a legit reason. Negligence is all over, let them know and move on with ya healthy and happy child. Yall have no idea what stress the “health care pros” are under!!!!
Shhhhhhhhh
Dear idiot,
If they did care, the needle wouldn’t have remained in the child’s foot. Now let’s move on to better things. I don’t think Antigua newsroom want argument under their post.
There is a big difference with a needle and an intricate 1: Anita is used with syringe for various reasons
2: A intricate is used to give medication blood, and IV fluid for hydration and other stuff.
It is the norm for an IV access/ intricate to be inserted in every patient that is admitted at the hospital. It doesn’t matter what unit you are on from the ER to INCU however upon discharge that same access MUST be taken out unfortunately it didn’t. So we now need to file a lawsuit for an IV access? This was just an oversight nothing detrimental on the medical professional part This is a genuine oversight for the access not to be taken out upon discharge…… I would like to know if the parent that are Going for lawsuit for the I.V access being left in the child if they had never made any mistake in their life, and this mistake by the medical professional is nothing to cause life It was placed there to sustain the life of the child and to medicate, and to ensure the child was being treated based on the diagnosis of same child…
We are so quick to be judgmental and look down on others you’re talking about if it was America, if it was America, the hospital would be fully staff and that child would have a nurse for him or herself, and they would have ensured everything goes by the books and there would not be a misteak.
Sorry NICU
I don’t see a big deal there. It was a genuine oversight. Most females have big phones that can take good pictures and videos. Women in this country like to take pictures and videos to mind people business especially if they see Police searching people or arresting them and put the videos on Facebook. If what the mother is saying is true, where are the pictures and videos. Mabe something was left there but not a needle. ANR should investigate that report first before printing it. Suppose the information is false, who will clean that damage. I don’t believe that story at all. Such article should not be printed without an accompanying picture or video of that baby foot. Right now I need 10 asprin to thin out my blood.
Jah Jah help us all in waddali come on let’s see the evidence picture or video den u have a case go through the right prosse den u have a case
you call yourselves parents?
I pity that child being saddled with your incompetence for life
That’s not even a needle. It’s an introcat! It’s plastic. It was just an oversight on both parties. Didn’t need a big show. Move on!
OMGGHHH talk about carelessness and negligence. Wowwww. I don’t even know what to say
Pure negligence