The Department of Health said yesterday it had formed a special panel to handle a tragic incident at a Taipei County hospital that resulted in the death of a newborn girl and the hospitalization of six other infants.
Tan Kai-yuan (
They were rushed to four hospitals better-equipped for emergency treatment after receiving first-aid at Pei Cheng, Tan said.
The baby girl, born to Lo Yueh-chan less than 24 hours earlier, died at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in Panchiao, while the other six newborns were stable after receiving treatment, Tan said.
The former deputy director of the department, Huang Fu-yuan (黃富源), now deputy head of Mackay Memorial Hospital and an experienced pediatrician, will head a special team of experts to handle the affair and probe the cause of the fatal mishap, Tan said.
Initial investigations show that a nurse at Pei Cheng Hospital mistakenly gave the babies Atracrium shots rather than hepatitis B vaccines.
"The muscle relaxants were reportedly stored in the same freezer as the hepatitis B vaccines and medical staff chose the wrong medication," Tan said, adding that further investigations will be conducted to determine who should be held responsible, including criminal, civil and administrative liability.
Tan said medical mishaps usually result from human error.
Pei Cheng Clinical Director Hsu Mu-chuan (徐木泉) admitted the mistake and expressed his regret.
"We deeply apologize to the babies and their families and we will take full responsibility for this unfortunate event," he said.
He added that the hospital had already given NT$100,000 to each of the families involved as "comfort money."
Hsu also confessed that a 21-year-old nurse surnamed Huang had failed to double check the medication before she administered it to the babies.
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