ILOILO – The Sara District Hospital (SDH) has denounced what it described as “misleading and insensitive” social media reporting over the death of an infant, warning the public against unverified allegations spread by non-accredited news pages.
In a public statement, Dr. Delos Reyes, officer-in-charge Chief of Hospital, said the viral account posted by vlogger news page Zarraga News Live Station (ZNLS) misrepresented the facts of the case and omitted critical medical details.
According to Delos Reyes, the mother first came to the hospital’s outpatient department (OPD) after reporting no fetal movement for more than three days.
“An ultrasound was requested, but they did not comply. The mother came back in labor, and due to inevitable delivery, she was brought directly to the delivery room where the baby was delivered via normal delivery,” she explained.
The hospital stressed that the fetus had been dead inside the womb for days prior to delivery and that the parents had been informed beforehand.
“Yes, lapnos na ina ang bata pag gua kay days na nga patay,” Delos Reyes said, referring to the skin condition of the infant caused by prolonged intrauterine death.
ZNLS earlier posted an unverified account from a family member claiming hospital staff “forced” the mother to undergo normal delivery despite the baby’s size, which allegedly caused the infant’s skin to peel off.
The post, which included graphic descriptions, sparked online outrage.
“We at Sara District Hospital are trying our very best to uplift our image and give the best quality service in our province. Please be sensitive with your postings,” Delos Reyes said, adding that the complainant was welcome to meet with her in person to discuss the matter.
The hospital also urged the public to verify facts before sharing allegations on social media and reminded netizens that vlogger news pages like ZNLS are not accredited media entities./PN