Bad day at the hospital

[NewsWhore]

The recent deaths in childbirth at the Altagracia Maternity Hospital in Santo Domingo were unprecedented, according to doctors on duty there. The fact that four young mothers died in just one day was unheard of in the hospital's 60-year history. According to Hoy newspaper, the National Committee for Maternal Mortality is looking into the cases. The chief of emergencies, Dr. Justo Jose Nicasio, told reporters he was appalled by this setback at La Altagracia, the nation's largest maternity hospital. The situation is quite worrisome, particularly in view of the fact that only 39 patients died at the hospital during all of 2007. According to reporter Altagracia Ortiz, over half of the women who come to the hospital to give birth are referred from the far south or southwest of the Dominican Republic, and are typically poor, very young and suffering from hypertension, infections or hemorrhaging. Some 30% of all cases are teenage mothers between the ages of 12 and 18. According to Dr. Nicasio, some Haitian women arrive at the hospital when their condition is "irreversible". Added to the problem is the fact that several important areas of the hospital are undergoing refurbishment and are being used for patients at the same time.
As reported in Hoy, seven of the 37 deaths of mothers giving birth at the La Altagracia hospital were Haitians that arrived to the emergency room in severe conditions and suffering from acute anemia.
Dr. Juan Cid Troncoso said that on average six Haitian women arrive to give birth every day to the hospital, most not able to speak Spanish. Teenage births are another reason for an above high mortality rate.

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