• 22
  • December
    2011

It is important that New Jersey readers realize a vast majority of doctors are dedicated and caring individuals who are very good at their jobs. But as the old saying goes, there are a few bad apples in any bunch.

One such bad apple appears to be the doctor who allegedly left a baby for dead in a plastic bin before a few hours before a nurse noticed that the baby was actually alive. If the claims made by the baby's mother are true, then this is a ghastly case of medical negligence that, while not characterizing the medical profession as a whole, does show that horrible mistakes can happen.

The baby was born in June 2009 gasping for breath and with an irregular heartbeat, so the doctor decided that the baby had no chance of living. He put it in a plastic bin so someone could later dispose of the body.

Happily, the baby lived. He was flown to a nearby clinic to receive more extensive treatment and remained in intensive care for three months. Sadly, he suffered a brain injury because he did not receive necessary treatment immediately.

The lawsuit filed against the doctor claims that he made the decision that the baby had no chance to live unilaterally and without consulting anyone else. The lawsuit also claims the doctors was negligent because he did not give the baby "timely and appropriate diagnosis, intervention, treatment and care."

Medical records indicate the doctor who performed the delivery had no record of medical malpractice claims against him, although he did allow his license to lapse in May 2011.

Source: The Tennessean, "Lawsuit claims Robertson doctor neglected newborn," Brandon Gee, Dec. 22, 2011