Health News
Twins die in Australian hospital bungle
Nov 24, 2011, 5:13 GMT
Sydney - A Melbourne hospital said sorry Thursday for a mix-up in which a healthy 32-week-old foetus was aborted and his twin brother with a congenital heart defect was mistakenly left alive.
The mother then had to undergo a caesarean section to terminate the remaining foetus.
'This is a terrible tragedy and the hospital is deeply sorry for the loss suffered by the patient and her family,' The Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne said in a statement quoted in The Australian newspaper.
Doctors had told the woman, who had chosen names for her babies, that while one was healthy, the other was unlikely to survive because of the heart defect. She then decided to undergo Tuesday's procedure.
Victorian state Premier Ted Baillieu told reporters that it was a tragedy for all concerned.
'I don't think it's appropriate for anybody to draw any conclusions other than this is a horrible tragedy,' he said. 'We'll make sure that the investigation is as thorough as it can be.'
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