Baby Comes 'Halfway Out Of Womb,' Dies After Hospital Delays Mother's Admission Without ID Card

A nurse in a hospital in Malaysia refused to admit a pregnant woman without her identity card resulting in the death of her baby. The woman’s husband took to Facebook on Wednesday to share his thoughts on the incident.

A man, identified as Kelana Jagat, said he rushed his unidentified wife to Sultananh Nur Zahirah Hospital on Sunday after she complained of stomach pain. On the way, the woman’s water broke and the baby had “already come out halfway.” Upon arrival at the hospital, the woman was rushed to the emergency ward. However, the nurse asked for the woman’s ID card which the husband had forgotten to carry. The nurse then asked him to go back home, which was 20 minutes drive from the hospital, and get the documents. When Jagat informed the nurse that he cannot leave his wife unattended and go back home, he was asked to fill a form at the reception.

At the reception, the man allegedly faced the same problem. The receptionist asked for her ID card or their marriage certificate. When informed that he had forgotten to bring the documents, the receptionist scolded Jagat in front of everyone before asking him to take his wife to a different hospital. After almost 30 minutes, the receptionist agreed to admit the woman following which she was treated. The baby came out but was “blue over all.” The following morning, the man was informed that the baby was critical and had internal bleeding in the brain.

“I just couldn’t understand why didn’t they inform me earlier. A doctor even gave us a brief explanation on our baby’s health on the first day but they didn’t say anything about internal bleeding. This brought despair for my whole family,” he wrote, adding that the baby died the same evening.

“I hope that the authorities can take strict measures upon these officers,” he wrote. It was, however, not clear if any case was filed against the hospital.