Met at the end of November, Aminata and Timothée are still shocked. A month earlier, their six-week-old baby girl almost died. They accuse Beauvais hospital of negligence which led to this situation. Today, after a relapse, their baby is doing better and is no longer in danger. But they do not intend to stop there and want file a complaint.
It all starts on September 27. Aminata notices that her daughter is not doing well. She suffers from diarrhea, vomits, has a pale complexion… Already a mother of two children, she knows that it can be serious. Around 2 a.m. she decided to take him to the hospital. From home, the easiest way is to go to the Beauvais hospital center. On site, she described her infant’s symptoms but her concern was not shared by the medical profession. “They prescribed us a gel to swallow and told me to go home“, she remembers. The situation will worsen at night.
The next day between life and death
“They told me: “if she loses more weight, come back”. They didn’t listen to what I said», she complains. Aminata testifies that the staff checked her infant’s constants but did not take a blood test. And according to her, the report does not mention symptoms of dehydration, contrary to her statements.
But she obeys and returns home. “The next day I called Samu because it got worse. They tell me to go back on my own», Aminata continues. She complies while trying to keep her daughter awake during the ride. Back at the Beauvais hospital “there a nurse immediately saw that she was pale. I said she was like yesterday…»
Her baby was unusually limp. “There, the nurse took it from my hands and off we went. She had a cardiopulmonary arrest and they had to massage her.» As soon as they could, the caregivers airlifted the baby to the Amiens hospital center. “And there, the support was great. They did everything to save his life. They told us she came from a long way away», relate the parents.
Poor support
According to their testimony, their suspicions of poor care in Beauvais are confirmed by Amiens caregivers. “They were shocked to see the state of the child even though we had come the day before», recalls Aminata. Their baby will stay in intensive care for more than a week before returning to Beauvais. On October 7, given that her condition had stabilized and the lack of space in pediatric emergencies, the little girl was transferred back to the Simone-Veil hospital center.
And patatras. “Once again they did not listen», breathe the parents. While the Amiens hospital had prescribed a very specific milk which seemed to suit the child, the contents of the bottles changed again. “They told me it was the same thing. I told them no, it’s not the same thing. She writhes in pain and has liquid stools again.», Testifies the mother.
A relapse and return to Amiens
The baby is not as bad as the first time and the doctors are considering his return home. “A pediatrician told us they would do a blood test to check before he was discharged on Thursday. And on Wednesday another pediatrician said she was fine and we could leave. He refused to take a blood test on the pretext that she was fine before her release.»
But three days later, the little girl relapsed. “So we headed straight to Amiens», say the parents. Although the hospital is much further away for them than the one in Beauvais. “They asked us for his blood test. We told them we didn’t have any. They were surprised and said it wasn’t normal. There they did everything: blood test, lumbar puncture…»
Apart from the medical aspect, parents observe a real change with Beauvais. “They listened to us and asked us questions. “How do you perceive it?”… That’s what made the difference.» «Between Amiens and Beauvais it’s day and night», adds Timothée.
Prevent this from happening again
After their mishap, the couple decides to find out about the hospital. Looking reviews on Googlethey realize that they are not alone. After 819 reviews, the hospital is rated just over 2 out of 5 by patients. Including a large majority of 1 in 5 who call for choosing another establishment. “If we had known…», Comment the parents.
Today their little daughter is being followed to Amiens. She’s better but “she has after-effects. A liver that is damaged when it could have been avoided», Regrets Timothée. So they decided to file a complaint and write to the public prosecutor. “We are not seeking compensation. It’s to denounce. We don’t want this to happen to anyone else», Specify the parents.
Their little girl is still undergoing treatment for six months because she was severely dehydrated. Ultimately, the parents explain that she contracted gastro at the same time as being positive for the coronavirus. That the gastro revealed an allergy to cow’s milk. But it was difficult to find since she was breastfed by her mother. However, as the mother eats a lot of yogurt, cheese and other dairy products, the cow’s milk proteins have been transmitted to her baby. Today, with the right milk and treatment, everything is better.
Contacted ahead of this article with enough time to respond to this testimony, the Beauvais hospital did not respond.
