10-Year-Old Dies Amid Hospital Transfer Delays in Samar

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar, Philippines — A grieving mother called for accountability after her 10-year-old son died from a series of delays and life-saving equipment issues faced during the transfer of the boy from a hospital here to a better-equipped facility in Tacloban City. “Around 8 a.m. we rushed him to the hospital. By 2 p.m. my son was gone,” the mother wrote on social media, as she asked: “How many lives does Samar have to lose before we fix our broken health system?” According to the mother’s post, the boy complained of a sore throat on July 9 and developed fever the following day. By Saturday, the boy was having difficulty breathing and rushed to a hospital in Catbalogan, where doctors sought permission to intubate after the child suffered a seizure. When the boy’s condition worsened, a hospital staff reportedly told the family to transfer him to Tacloban City, where hospitals have intensive care units. The Catbalogan hospital does not have an ICU. According to the family, there was no ambulance driver available and, if there was, they had to pay P15,000 for the transport. “My son was dying in front of me and they were talking about money,” the mother wrote. The family sought help from the city hall but was told the ambulance was getting an oil change and would be available only at noon. Not giving up, they sought help from the fire department and the provincial hospital, but were told their ambulances had no drivers. After four hours of looking for transport, and with the help of their neighbor who acted as ambulance nurse, the family left for Tacloban at noon. But the problem didn’t stop there. The mother recalled that her son’s breathing tube was dislodged during transport “because of the poor road conditions in Samar.” The ambulance made stops in Calbiga and Pinabacdao towns to look for a doctor to reinsert the tube, but no one was available “because it was a Saturday.” The boy was declared dead on arrival at the Tacloban hospital. The family paid P15,000 for emergency services, P1,000 for gas and another P1,000 for the driver. “What killed my son wasn’t just his illness. It was the system, the negligence, the people who were supposed to save him,” the mother wrote. Her case has sparked renewed calls for the Department of Health, Samar provincial government and local officials to address gaps in emergency medical services, hospital equipment and 24/7 staffing in rural hospitals. In a statement, the provincial government said the incident occurred in a private hospital in Catbalogan and not at the Samar Provincial Hospital. It added that the SPH has two operational ambulances that were already transporting patients when the request for help was made. According to health experts, a timely transfer, proper equipment sizing and trained personnel are vital to survival in critical pediatric cases. For the boy’s mother, the advisories were too late. “I write this through tears. I will never be the same. I died with my son. I love you, Dayne. I’m sorry,” she wrote. Information Source: Philstar Nation