1-Day-Old Baby Severely Burned After Hospital Staff Leaves Newborn Unattended In Incubator

A newborn baby in Kenya has sustained burns after being left inside an incubator for too long. The infant's family blames the hospital management for its negligence.

According to Dennis Murimi, the baby's father, he went to visit his wife, Regina Wambura, at Queens and Kings Hospital in Siakago, Embu County when he found the 1-day-old baby "burned" inside the incubator. The infant suffered severe burn injuries to the arm, chest and head.

Murimi blamed the hospital staff for their negligence that resulted in his child's injuries.

"The baby was left at an incubator for a long period unattended [sic] leading to the burns," Murimi told local news outlet Nairobi Wire.

Considering the child's condition, the family urged the hospital management to transfer the infant to a better hospital. Rukia Wanjiru, the baby's aunt, said the baby was in pain and needed special treatment as soon as possible.

The hospital already apologized for the incident and agreed to transfer the child to a multi-specialty hospital in Nairobi. It would also take care of all the medical expenses, the news outlet reported.

"We are happy with the management's decision to deal with the medical costs but the baby's mother Regina Wambura is deeply traumatised," Wanjiru said.

The baby is now receiving specialized treatment with all the expenses covered.

The hospital is investigating the incident and has assured the infant's family that necessary disciplinary action will be taken against any personnel found responsible for the unfortunate incident, said a report from The Standard.

"Our quality control team is investigating the matter to find out if there was personnel negligence or the machine failed," Moses Njue, the hospital administrator, said.

It remains unclear whether a case has been filed against the hospital.

The incident comes months after a nurse in Canada placed a hot cloth on a 3-day-old baby's foot, resulting in the newborn suffering severe burn injuries.