Heartbroken parents blame newborn baby’s death on doctors having huge feast inside intensive care unit as probe launched

THE heartbroken parents of a dead newborn baby have blamed his death on doctors hosting a huge feast in the neonatal intensive care ward. Their son was born prematurely and rushed for treatment at a hospital in Ang Thong, Thailand, before dying very suddenly. Cops are probing the death of a newborn after staff were accused of having a feast near vulnerable babies in the intensive care unit Credit: Alamy His devastated mum and dad have now demanded a full investigation into the tragedy and police then launched a probe. They claim an inappropriate feast was held inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) while their tiny son fought for his life. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! They have enlisted the help of the Paveena Foundation for Children and Women and requested an independent forensic examination. Their baby’s body has since been transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Police General Hospital for an autopsy. The couple said their son was born prematurely on July 17 after eight months of pregnancy and was immediately placed in an incubator in the NICU for specialist care. His father said doctors warned shortly after midnight that the newborn was breathing unusually fast and could become exhausted. He agreed to them inserting a breathing tube after signing a consent form. The parents said staff later reassured them their son’s condition had stabilised, giving them hope he was recovering. Most read in The Sun But when they visited the NICU on July 20, they claimed they were stunned to find five dining tables set up inside the ward with doctors, nurses and other staff eating together. One of the tables had allegedly been placed only a short distance from their son’s incubator. The couple also claimed they were then asked to leave because staff were having their meal. Concerned by what they had seen, they questioned whether eating inside a unit designed to protect vulnerable premature babies was appropriate. They claimed staff insisted the gathering would not affect the infants receiving treatment. Catering workers also allegedly entered the NICU to serve food without wearing face masks or other protective equipment. The next morning, the parents’ worst fears became areality when thee hospital told them their son’s condition had deteriorated overnight. When they arrived at about 10am, doctors told them the newborn had died. According to the parents, medics suggested he may have developed a bloodstream infection, while hospital paperwork listed pulmonary hypertension as the cause of death. The grieving couple also claimed staff released their son’s body for funeral arrangements before later encouraging them to have him cremated. Although a funeral was held, they decided to delay the cremation so an independent investigation could examine what happened and whether the alleged gathering inside the NICU played any role. The family claim a fracture to the baby’s right ankle and an injury to the left side of his skull were found, but his cause of death has not yet been established. Experts collected blood, tissue and liver samples for further testing, with final results expected within around two weeks. The hospital is yet to publicly respond to the family’s allegations. Comment now