Investigator appointed in baby case

THE HEALTH Ministry has appointed an investigating officer to look into how a pre-term baby girl was mistakenly left for dead as a miscarried foetus by staff at Limassol hospital.

The deputy director of medical services, Christodoulos Kaisis said yesterday that an inquiry into last week’s incident has left unanswered questions, prompting them to appoint an investigating officer.

“Questions remain. We suggested the appointment … exactly because we want to have a full investigation of the events — recorded minute by minute,” Kaisis said.

The first investigation into the incident had been carried out by hospital director Chrysostomos Andronicou.

The incident was reported first by daily Alithia which said staff thought the premature foetus was dead and it was placed along with other discarded medical waste.

The foetus was found live by a cleaner later on who alerted the medical personnel.

The hospital denied it had dumped the foetus.

They said the mother had told them that she had been 18-weeks pregnant.

In medicine, any foetus less than 20-weeks old is not capable of surviving.

A source close to the investigation told the Cyprus Mail that the foetus was found by the cleaner 30 minutes after it was born but “it seems” it took staff another three-four hours to attend to it.

The 25-week baby was rushed to Makarios hospital in Nicosia where it is in stable condition.

Doctors said babies born at that stage have a 50:50 chance of survival.

But even if the baby girl survives, it would take up to a year to show if she will have other problems.

Police meanwhile are continuing their own separate investigation into the matter, having already taken statements from the parents, doctors, the cleaner, as well as other people involved.

Police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos suggested they will have completed their investigation at the beginning of next week.

After that officers will hand over the case file to the attorney-general who will decide whether any offenses have been committed.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.