Baby who died in Cebu hospital buried as kin vow to seek justice

Amid vows by relatives to seek justice, an eight-month-old baby boy who died in a Cebu hospital earlier this month was buried on Wednesday.

Harry Morgan Visaya was laid to rest at the Calamba Public Cemetery in Cebu City, GMA Cebu's Alan Domingo reported Thursday.

The baby died June 7, with his parents accusing the staff of St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital of neglecting him. The hospital denied the claim.


^{GMA Cebu}

On Wednesday, Baby Harry's relatives were emotional as they attended his burial, and maintained they are determined to lodge a complaint against the hospital before the Department of Health.

Baby Harry's kin also said they will not accept any offer of a settlement from the hospital, adding they will not believe the findings of the hospital's fact-finding body.

The child was brought to the hospital June 2, after showing symptoms of diarrhea.

His mother Marifhe Ylaya wanted the staff to administer dextrose to the baby but the staff merely had her buy medicine and discharged the patient.

Marifhe returned the next day to make sure the baby was fine, but she said the hospital staff took its time attending to the child.

"Nagtawanan sila (nang) sinabi kong okay pa ba ang anak ko, dahil binalot ng kumot tapos iyak ng iyak. Sabi ng nurse na ano ma’am, papatusok ba kayo o hindi dahil sasabihan ko ang doctor. Sabi ko papatusok pero tingnan mo ang anak nakakaawa," she said.

"Pumunta ang duktor, tiningnan niya ang dextrose at sabi niya bukas na niya lalagyan ng dextrose ang bata dahil gabi na. Hindi na niya makita ng maayos. Sabi ko sure ba kayo doc, okay lang ba ang anak ko doc?" she added.

When the dextrose ran out, the staff allegedly did not administer any more dextrose, prompting the Ylaya family to ask the staff to allow the baby's transfer to a private hospital, lest he be dehydrated.

But the Ylayas said the attending physician refused to do so. Eventually, the baby was transferred to another public hospital and died there on June 7.

Earlier, the management of St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital maintained its medical personnel did their jobs. Chief of hospital Dr. Roberto Denopol said they will form a panel to investigate the incident.

Denopol also said they are ready for any legal measure the baby's family may take against them. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News