The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has issued a report in response to botched medical care that left two babies blind, charging that the infants’ human rights were violated due to negligence.

In the document — which contains recommendations directed to the general manager of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) — the CNDH said the first case occurred in the Zone 8 General Hospital in Uruapan, Michoacán.

The report charged that doctors failed to make a timely diagnosis that the baby was suffering from retinopathy and that the consequent absence of treatment meant that the condition worsened, resulting in a permanent loss of sight.

The baby was born prematurely after 31 weeks’ gestation and was diagnosed with infant respiratory distress syndrome and also showed clinical signs of early-stage sepsis.

Despite that, the CNDH said, medical personnel failed to carry out blood and urine testing to confirm or rule out the presence of infection nor did they administer any course of antibiotic treatment.

The CNDH detailed that in the second case — which occurred at the Number 2 Specialty Hospital in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora — a surgeon mistakenly removed a baby’s right eye instead of the left eye in which a cancerous growth was present.

With the subsequent removal of the baby’s left eye, the infant permanently lost any chance of ever being able to see.

The CNDH report said that the treating ophthalmologist had not heeded the advice of nurses and an anesthetist who had told him that the left eye was the one that needed to be surgically removed.

The baby’s parents have filed a criminal complaint against the surgeon.

The Human Rights group called on IMSS chief Tuffic Miguel Ortega to compensate the babies’ families with fair monetary reparation and the provision of psychological care.

The report also said the infants should be included on the National Victims’ Registry so they are eligible to access other monetary and medical assistance.

In addition, the CNDH called for medical staff in both hospitals to be given additional training that focuses on the human rights of patients under their care.

In a statement, IMSS said it would implement the CNDH recommendations and that it has implemented a range of preventative measures to ensure that there is no repeat of any similar cases in the future.

Source: Sin Embargo (sp)