On 7 October, a child was born in a small town in Portugal. The eyes and nose of the child were missing and even a part of head was not seen. There were several tests of the child before birth. But still the parents were not told about the physical condition of the child.
The mother of the child was under the supervision of Dr. Artur Carvalho for the entire nine months of pregnancy. All tests and check-ups were done by this doctor. After the birth of the child, doctor Artur was accused of being negligent. Medical Council suspends Doctor Artur for this. After the news, there is anger among people all over the country. Dr Artur has not given any statement on this matter at present.
What happened to the child?
For the whole nine months, the child’s mother was under the supervision of a doctor. During that time ultrasound was done three times. The parents say that the doctor never expressed any concern about the health of the child.
According to reports, but after six months of pregnancy, she underwent ultrasound for the fourth time from another clinic, which was 5D ultrasound. This gives more granular information about the foetus. At the time of the test, the doctor of that clinic said that he is feeling something unusual and it seems that the foetus is not developing properly. After this, the parents went to Dr. Artur Carvalho, but they dismissed these concerns.
The child’s aunt said, “Dr. Artur said that at times ultrasound does not show parts of the face. For example, when the baby’s face is attached to the mother’s stomach.” When the child was born and found out that there were no parts of his face and head, the nurse told the parents that the child would be able to live for only a few hours. However, two weeks later, the child is still fighting for life in the hospital. After the matter came to light, many people alleged that the same doctor had done negligence in their case as well.
What are the other issues?
After this case, several other complaints have also come out against Dr. Artur. According to health officials, at least six people have complained against them at the moment. Some of these cases are from 2013. Many people at Portugal have told the media that due to the negligence of this doctor, there were problems in their pregnancy too. In a similar case in 2011, a child did not have many parts of his face, legs were deformed and severe brain damage. The mother of this child told the media that she too has filed a criminal case against the doctor.
The woman said that at the age of just eight, so far her son has had several operations. Despite this, he still cannot walk and speak. According to reports, another criminal case was registered on this doctor in 2007, which was closed without hearing. In this case, the Portugal child died a few months after the birth. Children’s health is deteriorating due to climate change.
Responses
There is anger among the people of Portugal since the latest case and many people are questioning the country’s health system.
The President of the Medical Association of Portugal told in a press conference that he has spoken to Dr. Artur Carvalho. He told that Dr. Artur has agreed that he will not practice till the investigation continues. The Discipline Council met this week, in which it was unanimously decided that Dr. Artur should be suspended for six months.
Announcing the verdict, the head of the Medical Council of the Southern Region said that “strong evidence of doctor’s negligence has been found, disciplinary restrictions can be imposed on them”.
