Sepsis claims lives of 25 babies, hospital closes unit

MANILA, Philippines - A deadly infection in the bloodstream that attacks mostly infants has already claimed 25 lives at a public hospital in Makati City, GMA’s Flash Report said Friday. The high incidence of a blood disease called sepsis has already prompted the Department of Health (DOH) to order the Ospital ng Makati (Osmak) to determine the root cause of the sudden spread of the disease. To monitor the situation further, the DOH has already directed hospital officials to implement stricter procedures in admitting laboring women to the said medical facility. The stricter admission of pregnant patients would buy health officials more time to sanitize its delivery room and neo-natal intensive care unit, which Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay had already ordered closed. The television report said that 45 sepsis cases have been recorded at the Osmak in May alone, which the DOH considered as unusually high. Dr Eric Tayag of the National Epidemiology Center said health experts need at least ten days before they could release results of their investigation into the cause of the spread. Binay said he would form a fact-finding team composed of medical experts, who would look into the cases and later lay down possible measures that Osmak officials could take to stamp out the spread. Also, the Makati mayor said hospital personnel and staff found guilty of negligence would face corresponding administrative and legal charges. "If we find negligence on the part of hospital staff and personnel, the city government will definitely file the proper cases against them," Binay said in a statement. Aside from asking the DOH to assist the fact-finding team, Binay also instructed Osmak officials to monitor the conditions of all babies currently admitted at the hospital, to ascertain who would be discharged or transferred to another facility. "We look forward to working with the DOH, in the light of information that these cases are not limited only to Osmak but in other public hospitals as well. We hope that we can do our share in assisting the national government address this issue concretely," he said. He has also given Osmak director Julius Drilon 72 hours or three days to submit a report, all hospital records, and death certificates pertinent to the reported deaths. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV