KK Hospital apologises for baby mix-up
Imagine the shock when after becoming new parents, you find out the baby you happily carried home was not yours.
That was what a pair of parents found out when they noticed that the baby they brought home on Sunday wore an identification tag belonging to another mother.
Fortunately, after the couple alerted KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), the babies have been reunited with their biological parents.
In a media statement released on Tuesday, the hospital called it an “unfortunate incident” which saw the two new-born babies erroneously discharged.
“The hospital deeply regrets this error, and the babies have been reunited with their biological parents. Both babies are well and with their respective mothers, who have been offered counselling from the hospital,” it said in the statement.
The hospital's chief executive, Professor Kenneth Kwek, told local media that the mix-up was the result of a series of mistakes that happened after one of the babies lost one of his ankle tags and was given a wrong replacement tag.
Human failure to check the tags upon the discharge of both babies to their parents also failed to spot the tagging error.
The hospital said thorough investigations are underway to determine how this error occurred.
It added that they are taking a “serious view” of it to prevent any recurrence.
The Ministry of Health has also been informed.
