Health Minister Jillian Skinner faced tough questions and a call to resign as authorities investigate how two newborn babies were given the wrong gas at a Sydney hospital.
One baby died and the second suffered serious brain damage after they were given nitrous oxide – commonly known as “happy gas” – instead of oxygen in a neonatal resuscitation unit at Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital.
Mother of newborn who died speaks out
Nitrous oxide had been incorrectly connected to the oxygen outlet that fed to a gas line into one of the hospital’s operating theatres, Ms Skinner said.
The mothers of the babies had been in the operating theatre with their newborns shortly after giving birth when the gas was administered.
Both BOC and the hospital were responsible for final checks and the anaesthetist also signs off, Ms Skinner said on Tuesday.
The health minister expressed her “profound sorrow and sympathy to the families affected by this tragic mistake”, describing it as a “devastating error” on Tuesday.
Secretary of NSW Health Elizabeth Koff acknowledged that “unfortunately we failed as a system in the delivery of these two babies, and for that we are profoundly sorry”.
Ms Skinner was repeatedly criticised on Tuesday for attending the Helpmann Awards on Monday evening as news broke of the gassing error.
Health authorities had known about the matter since last Thursday but did not publicly release the information until Monday night.
Opposition leader Luke Foley demanded Ms Skinner resign over her handling of the tragedy and called for an independent review.
“I find Jillian Skinner’s reaction grotesque in its insensitivity,” Mr Foley said.
“She found out about this a few days ago and then she frocks up to go to the theatre.
“[Premier Mike] Baird needs to find himself a new health minister,” he said.
Ms Skinner said she would not resign.
“If it is found that there was total negligence, that it was something I could have personally prevented, that might be when I say I would resign, but I’m not convinced that that’s the case in this situation,” she said.
The Health Ministry has launched an investigation headed by an independent obstetrician to determine what went wrong. An interim report is due to be released publicly within the week.
The devastated mother of a newborn boy who died when he was mistakenly given the wrong gas at a Sydney hospital has described how she held her baby’s lifeless body and urged him to “wake up, wake up”.
“I held my baby; they [brought] him to me at the hospital,” the mother, Sonya Ghanem, told Channel Nine.
“I said, ‘I want to see him.’ Just looking at him, shaking. ‘My son, wake up,’ I would tell him. ‘Wake up, wake up. What did they do to you?’ ”
The baby boy, named John, died at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital on July 13 after he was mistakenly treated with nitrous oxide, commonly known as “happy gas”, instead of oxygen in the hospital’s neonatal resuscitation unit.
Ms Ghanem told Channel Nine she was put under general anaesthetic to undergo a caesarean section at the hospital. She said when she woke up, she was told by a nurse that her baby son had died.
The baby’s death has been referred to the coroner.
Another baby, a girl born in June, remains in a critical condition after she was also mistakenly treated with nitrous oxide. It is understood the baby has suffered brain damage.
On Tuesday Ms Skinner spoke with the mother and uncle of the baby who did not survive to apologise for the error.
“I gave a commitment that they will receive the ongoing support of NSW Health and will be kept informed of the investigations which are under way,” she said.
The parents of the baby girl had agreed to speak with Ms Skinner Tuesday evening, she said.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said nitrous oxide would have had a “devastating impact” on the newborns.
All eight operating theatres at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital have now been checked and no other outlets were faulty. The outlet responsible has been fixed, but the theatre remains closed, the health ministry advised.
Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital has reviewed its records since July 2015 and confirmed no other baby received gas from the affected outlet.
All other gas outlets in hospitals across South-Western Sydney Local Health District have also been checked.
“Mothers can feel confident that we have checked every operating theatre, every [resuscitation] bay where babies are treated and there are no other examples of this,” Ms Skinner said.
The government had contacted BOC Ltd “demanding urgent advice” on how the incorrect installation had occurred, Ms Skinner said.
In a statement, BOC expressed “profound sorrow” and deep regret over the suffering of the families involved.
BOC was also conducting a full internal inquiry and was co-operating with the separate investigations by the NSW government, the hospital and the coroner, the company said.
A dedicated call line is being set up at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital for concerned patients and parents, she said.