A consultant gynaecologist’s whose colossal error of judgement caused an accidental decapitation of a premature baby boy inside the mother’s womb. The gynaecologist Dr. Vaishnavy Laxman was summoned for the National Health Services Tribunal, where it was held that she should have given the mother an emergency C-section instead of a normal delivery. She was accused of ignoring medical protocol meant for breech deliveries and causing the death of the premature infant.

The incident took place in 2014 at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Scotland, where the consultant gynaecologist tried to carry out a risky delivery of a 30-year-old woman whose water had broken prematurely at 25 weeks. The infant was positioned in feet-down, head-up position or breech position. Despite repeated warnings, the doctor went ahead with a natural birth instead of giving the woman an emergency C-section, which is recommended in cases of breech birth.

The errant doctor reportedly asked the woman to push as she pulled at the infant’s legs. To everyone’s horror, the baby was delivered with the head still inside the womb. The child’s head was stuck in the mother’s cervix and got separated from the body as the doctor applied traction to the legs. Eventually, two other doctors had to perform an emergency C-section to retrieve the baby’s head. The doctors had to reattach the child’s head to the body so that the mother could hold him one last time and say her final goodbye.

Several accusations were levelled against the consultant gynaecologist who ignored the protocol for delivering breech births. She went ahead with natural birth, well aware of the complications. The woman was only 2-3 centimetres dilated and not fully in labour. The patient also accused the medical team of keeping her in the dark about her pregnancy. ”I remember them saying I was 2-3cm dilated and I was told to push. Nobody said I was not having a C-section and doing something else instead. Whilst this was going on I was in pain,” she told The Sun.

The case was then referred to the NHS, following which the hearing has officially commenced. The woman, known only as Patient A, told the media that it was her first pregnancy. She had reposed a lot of faith in the hospital and its services and is now devastated by the loss of her child. “I would never use the word stillborn, he was not stillborn he was decapitated,” she told the press. The midwife who attended the woman in the hospital also reported that the doctor was single-mindedly concerned with getting the baby out.

Dr. Laxman who may be stripped of her medical licence refuses to take any blame for contributing to the child’s death. Her lawyer has reached out to the mother on behalf of his client and has expressed regret over the child’s death.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2018 12:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).