Medical malpractice case in Israel over baby's suffering for life

With the support of legal specialists, the lawsuit is expected to move forward and set an important precedence in the realm of medical malpractice in Israel.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Baby crying [Illustrative] (photo credit: PIXABAY)
Baby crying [Illustrative]
(photo credit: PIXABAY)
Parents from the city of Modi'in have filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in the Tel Aviv District Court against the Kiryat Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and the Maccabi Health Service over the suffering of their five year-old son.
The lawsuit came as a result of events originating in 2016, when the parents went to Maccabi over the course of three months complaining of their baby son's increased vomiting and diarrhea on a weekly basis, made worse by pain and a lack of sleep. Despite examinations by doctors, who released the boy after receiving normal results, he suffered from continuing symptoms, including green vomiting.
During this time, doctors did not give the boy a referral for an ultrasound despite three months of symptoms stemming from the abdominal area.
After repeated requests, a doctor finally gave a referral for an ultrasound following a severe and prolonged attack of abominable pain at Hadassah, where it was discovered that the child was suffering from an intestinal infection, requiring immediate surgery.
The result of the negligence was the loss of a fourth of the baby's intestine, which would have been solved easily if surgery had been done at an earlier point. Likewise, the baby was forced to remain hospitalized for two years, while also requiring intravenous feeding with unbearable suffering for the rest of his life.
The young boy is also attached to life support systems for 10 hours a day, prompting medical experts to classify him as 100% disabled. Another consequence of the negligence is that his mother resigned from her work to take care of him, and he is also monitored throughout the night by at least one parent.
With the support of legal specialists, the lawsuit is expected to move forward and set an important precedence in the realm of medical malpractice in Israel.


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