Couple recall death of baby

A celebrity couple say they were not informed of the risks involved in induced labor when their child was born nine years ago.self storage Their baby died one day later. Testifying before the Medical Council yesterday, singer Peter Cheung Shung-tak said obstetrician Christine Choy Ming-yan had ruptured the fetal sac and had administered a drug to induce his wife, Eugina Lau Mei-kuen, to give birth. He also alleged that Choy had blamed herself for using a suction device to ease his son from his wife's womb during delivery. Choy and pediatrician Wan Kam-ming, who treated the baby at St Teresa's Hospital, face various charges of professional misconduct. The baby, Cheung Tin-lam, died on February 19, 2005. Choy faces seven charges, including rupturing the fetal sac, inappropriately administering a drug to induce labor and failing to arrange for pediatricians to resuscitate the baby. Wan faces an additional charge of failing to immediately transfer the baby to the intensive care unit. Cheung testified that he had accompanied his wife to Choy's clinic for a pregnancy check on February 18. He claimed Choy told them that Lau, a former actress, was ready to give birth and then performed the labor procedures, which involved rupturing the fetal sac and administering a drug. Cheung alleged that at the time, Choy cried and to迷利倉d him that she used a suction device to deliver the baby and that had she known it would cause death she would not have used it. A video of the birth showed that the baby did not cry. A hospital nurse claimed seven or eight minutes later that the baby had cried but Cheung claimed he heard nothing. Cheung also said Wan had told him their baby was bleeding from a small wound on the head and that its cardio-pulmonary function was weak. Cheung said Wan later claimed that their baby had breathing difficulties. According to the hospital records, Lau's uterus was not fully ready 10 hours after she was admitted and that it would be inappropriate under such conditions to induce labor. Before the hearing started, Cheung said: ``We want [the Medical Council members] to be more concerned about the incident. As the Medical Council has a sound knowledge of medical issues, we want to hear the members' views and whether they find there were problems. If there are problems, how should it be resolved.'' The hearing continues on Sunday. In a 2008 High Court writ against Choy and Wan, Lau sought damages for injuries suffered by both herself and her baby through the alleged negligent acts of those managing the birth. The civil lawsuit was settled in 2009 after the couple received compensation. eddie.luk@singtaonewscorp.com 迷你倉