Father of Deceased Newborn Speaks Out: "My Son Was Born Dead Due to Medical Negligence"

Relatives of a newborn who passed away at the "Saint Grigor Lusavorich" Medical Center are blaming doctors for the infant's death. The baby's father, Suren Sahakyan, is certain that negligence on the part of the maternity hospital's medical staff led to his son being born dead.

The medical center's statement, claiming that the mother faced certain issues during pregnancy and complained about the absence of fetal movement on the day of delivery, has been refuted by the family. They expressed their outrage over such explanations from the medical facility.

The family has filed a complaint regarding the incident, prompting an investigation for professional negligence. Suren Sahakyan recounted that during the pregnancy, his wife experienced problems related to high amniotic fluid levels, and her doctor decided to monitor her every ten days. "My wife was eight and a half months pregnant. Every time, they said there were no issues with the fetus. We arrived on August 9, and they said the fluid levels were high again, 27; they told her to come in the next day. At that moment, the fetus would have reached 37 weeks. We came in the morning of August 10, around 9:30, and they checked again, saying the fluid level had dropped to 22. I don't understand how it went from 27 to 22 overnight. They conducted further tests, providing pictures of the fetus, indicating that all its organs were normal, and claiming the baby was moving as expected," he said.

Afterwards, Sahakyan went to work, and his wife called him around 1:00 PM, saying she was being taken to the delivery room. Upon arriving at the hospital, he was reassured that everything was normal and there was no cause for concern. However, after two hours without any updates, he visited his wife's doctor, Syuzanna Karapetyan, who was on vacation, and was told again that everything was fine and delivery would occur within a couple of hours.

As hours passed, Sahakyan started hearing from acquaintances who suggested they insist on starting an IV. He reported, "I was told to come back around 11 PM for updates on the delivery. When I went home, my wife called me at around 8 PM, saying they would start the IV at 9 PM."

He explained that several hours later, the operating doctor called him to say the baby's heart rate had slowed down, and they needed to perform an emergency surgery. "I said, do it if necessary. They assured me it would be over in an hour. When I arrived at the hospital, no one was providing updates. By 10 PM, I saw the on-duty doctor again, who was rushing up the stairs. A few minutes later, a nurse came to tell us to approach the doctor's room. The operating surgeon informed me that everything was normal with the mother but that they had been unable to save the fetus. They claimed the heart rate had dropped, and they brought out the deceased child," he recalled.

Frustrated, Sahakyan questioned why the surgery had not been done earlier. The surgeon blamed a lack of instructions and mentioned three responsible doctors. "No one had notified us before the day of birth that such a situation could arise. I asked the surgeon why the operation wasn't performed sooner, and he said there was no directive," he said.

Earlier, the "Saint Grigor Lusavorich" Medical Center clarified to NEWS.am that the woman had experienced certain issues during her pregnancy, complaining about reduced fetal movement on the morning of delivery. A cesarean section was performed, but the newborn was stillborn.

The police news department has reported that a forensic examination has been commissioned, and an investigation is underway.