China
17:59, 25-May-2018
Chinese hospital denies withholding Liberian mother’s newborns
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A Chinese hospital denied the allegations of withholding a Liberian woman’s newborns, after a New York Time’s report said the hospital asked the new mother to pay to see her twins.
Juliana Brandy Logbo gave birth at the Huadu District People's Hospital of Guangzhou on May 6. The 28-year-old mother told the New York Times that the hospital in south China’s Guangdong Province asked her to pay 630 US dollars for hospitalization fees if she wanted to see her girls. Three days later, she said, the amount rose to nearly 800 US dollars.
In the end, Logbo paid 3,500 US dollars collected from donations. Then she and her baby girls were permitted to leave.
The Huadu District People's Hospital of Guangzhou is located in Guangdong Province. /Maxhb.net photo
The Huadu District People's Hospital of Guangzhou is located in Guangdong Province. /Maxhb.net photo
The hospital on Thursday denied the accusations of the news report published on Tuesday, saying Logbo and her daughters had contact when the babies were born.
They also said that Logbo and her family had to visit the babies at the Newborn Intensive Care Unit because the babies were premature and could not be taken outside. Fearing for infections, denying parents access to premature babies is a policy widely shared by many hospitals in the country.
The hospital also stated the charges, which included the hospitalization fee for Logbo and her babies, were made under Chinese regulations. According to the hospital, Logbo gave birth through an emergency cesarean section without paying any fee or handling admission procedures first, since no family members of hers were at the scene.
China launched a campaign in 2013, calling for patients who need urgent care to be given it first, regardless of whether they can pay or not. The campaign has been instigated in more than 20 administrative regions, including Guangdong Province, Beijing and Shanghai.
The appreciation letter, which was reportedly written by Logbo before she was discharged from the hospital. /Chinanews Photo
The appreciation letter, which was reportedly written by Logbo before she was discharged from the hospital. /Chinanews Photo
In an appreciation letter, which was reportedly written by Logbo before she was discharged from the hospital, the Liberian mother said the doctors and nurses “really made me feel at home”.
She named her twins Grace Annabelle and Gracious Anna, “because I’m grateful to God for everything.”