A Pakistani family alleges that Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney failed to perform required medical testing and ignored the case history before accusing the family of harming the baby.
The family alleges that authorities having a suspicion of deliberate "baby harm" and the matter is in Family Court. The young brother of the baby has also been removed by the Department of Family and Community NSW.
describes rapid acceleration-deceleration forces of violent shaking can cause damage to brain tissue and blood vessel. The family claims that a clinical report that can not be shared due to legal reasons using the wording acceleration-deceleration and that term is primarily used as an alternate of baby shaking.
Key points
- Six-month-old baby taken away from a Sydney family in suspicion of deliberate "baby harm"
- Department of Family and Community Services NSW declined to comment on a case that is in Family Court
- Family is demanding a thorough investigation and immediate return of their two children
A Pakistani couple's daughter was born in August 2019. It was a normal birth but over the next few weeks, the baby started developing severe symptoms and the parents claim that their GP and midwives ignored symptoms including chronic diarrhoea. The family then took the baby to Liverpool Hospital after their toddler son had tried to pick her up and she slipped from a low-height bed onto a wooden floor.
The hospital's reports were clear from any external injury but the baby was transferred from Liverpool Hospital to Westmead children hospital for a CT scan. The scan result showed blood on her brain.
Speaking to SBS Urdu, the father alleged that based on the wrong assumption that the clot was produced due to the deliberate shaking, the case was referred to the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS).
Source: AAP Image Vincent Morello
The family claims that there is no sign found that the baby was intentionally harmed but actually a deficiency of Vitamin K that can cause the clot.
considers Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) a form of non-accidental brain injury and Shaken Baby Syndrome. However, in an article written on the authors argue that the term "shaken baby syndrome" should not be the implicit assumption of violence due to a range of many other medical reasons and disorders.
has received a written response from the department of communities and the Justice spokesperson that declined to comment on the case.
The Department of Communities and Justice cannot comment on individual child protection matters
The father of the baby alleged that the hospital failed to do an investigation into her medical history that was full of signs of vitamin K deficiency even before the falling incident.
The family also shared a case review letter from a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology of an overseas hospital that pointed out Vitamin K deficiency as a contributing factor to the baby's intracranial and spinal bleeds and recommended additional testing for Vitamin K-dependent factor levels. The letter further states that if factor levels are low, this could also indicate a congenital factor deficiency rather than Vitamin K deficiency.
The parents are allowed to meet the children three days a week for 90 minutes each. They requested an investigation into alleged negligence from health authorities. The family has written directly to the Minister of Health and Minister of Community and Justice to intervene and is waiting for their response.
In a statement, the family alleges that their daughter was left untested for the deficiency for almost two months and that falls into medical negligence.
Source: Getty-Jill Tindall
"The lack of medical insight also caused the hospital to overlooked the actual problem behind the bleeds, otherwise, they would have never accused the parents of a natural condition that is known to cause bleeding worldwide in babies," the father said.
The father says that the hospital has now decided to perform the tests and the Department of Family and Community Services has offered to transfer the children to carers who have ties of kinship with the children until the case is settled.
The children's father agreed that safeguards are necessary to save the children.
"Doctors are trained to spot child abuse and in many instances that could save lives but when they get wrong, families are torn apart and in our case, that is what happened with us", he added in his claim.
"It has caused immense pain and suffering to our family."
The University of Newcastle conducted that reveals that parents feel alienated, unsupported and excluded when their children are removed by child protection services. According to the research, parents find it hard to understand how to be included in their children's lives and sometimes simply return them back.
I am sure we will get the children back since we are not at all guilty of any wrong doing but our family is torn apart during this time
The family claims could not be verified by any government officials and hospital and the matter can not be commented further as the case is in the Family Court of NSW.
SBS did not receive a response from the Ministry of Health NSW until the time of publication of this story.
Westmead children's hospital has directed the request to the Department of Community and Justice NSW that declined to add up further.
If a child is in danger contact Child Protection Helpline
Link2Home
Kids Helpline
Lifeline
