Maternity death not my fault: midwife

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by Mom Kunthear
Wednesday, 27 May 2009

AN OBSTETRICIAN at Pailin's provincial referral hospital has denied responsibility in the death of a woman who died while giving birth at the centre two months ago.

Yin Buntha, one of five obstetricians currently being questioned by a Battambang provincial court over the incident, said Monday that she had simply followed hospital procedure.

"I told them what I did and what I did not do according to my role as an obstetrician. I don't know if they believe me or not, but I have only four words to reply to the court, and they are, I-did-nothing-wrong," she said.

Mith Rorn, the dead woman's husband, accused hospital staff of refusing to help his wife give birth because he was unable to give the clinic a US$25 fee.

However, a prosecutor in the case told the Post last week that Mith Rorn no longer blamed hospital staff for his wife's death, and as such, a case against them may not be grounded.

"It is difficult to mount a case against the five hospital staff because, after being questioned, they all said they did not cause the woman to die, and I asked the woman's husband again if he blamed the obstetricians, and he said he did not," Koy Kannya, a Battambang court prosecutor, said.

Koy Kannya was unable to be reached for comment on Monday or Tuesday but said last week that the woman's husband had only accused the hospital staff of asking for money, not with negligence.

Case closed: hospital
Seng Rorn, director of Pailin provincial's health department, said Tuesday that he believed the case had closed.

"I think that they have stopped investigating the case because they have been working on it for a long time and my staff have never done anything wrong. They are good people," he said.

"We have never taken money from poor people. We help them free of charge, and charge only $12.50 for rich people," he said.