Newborn dies and another is in critical condition after being given ‘laughing gas’ instead of oxygen in hospital
Devastated mother Sonya Ghanem told how she held her son and said "Wake up... What have they done to you?"
A NEWBORN baby has died and another is in a critical condition after a hospital mix-up supplied them both with "laughing gas" instead of oxygen in Sydney.
The devastated mother of the baby who died, Sonya Ghanem, told the press she said "Wake up, wake up. What did they do to you?" to her lifeless son.
A second baby has suspected brain damage after staff at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital incorrectly administered the nitrous oxide to the child.
The fatal mistake was due to a machine in the neo-natal resuscitation unit being wrongly installed, according to New South Wales Health Minister Jillian Skinner.
The minister also apologised after one of the newborns died and a paediatrician raised the alarm about the problem.
"I held my baby. They brang (sic) him to meet me at the hospital," said the dead child's mother.
"I said 'I want to see him'.
"(I was) just looking at him... shaking. My son 'wake up' I would tell him. 'Wake up, wake up. What did they do you you'
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"I come (sic) home to his room. No baby. No baby.
"Me walking, coming out of the hospital holding a capsule.
"I held nothing in my hand. I came empty-handed. Thinking I'd hold my newborn but no. Shocking, shocking this hospital," she said.
In a statement Ms Skinner said she was "profoundly sorry" for what has happened.
"I deeply regret these families have suffered through such a devastating error," she said.
"NSW Health will do all it can to support them."
"The oxygen outlet in one of the hospital's theatres was incorrectly installed and certified by BOC Ltd in July 2015."
The politician is now under pressure from health spokesmen Walt Secord, from the opposition, who is urging Ms Skinner to launch an independent investigation.
"This is why the Health Minister must launch an immediate external investigation.
"There's no point the Department of Health investigating itself.
"Once it's investigated I want to see that after the families are consulted, that report is released publicly."
Nitrous oxide and oxygen are both odourless and colourless, but the tanks they are contained in are different colours - black tanks are filled with Oxygen while light blue tanks supply Nitrous oxide.
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