A doctor in Brazil is reportedly being investigated by police after allegedly pulling a baby’s head off after climbing onto a pregnant woman’s stomach.
The shocking incident, which took place on May 1, occurred at the Hospital das Clinicas da UFMG in the Santa Efigenia area of Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
According to Express, the family of the dead baby girl said that after the incident, the hospital tried to pressure the family into signing documents that would cover up what really happened.
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Two days after the death of the baby girl, a complaint was lodged against the police by the mother of the child, 34-year-old Ranielly Coelho Santos.
Santos said she was taken to the hospital on April 24 following concerns over her high blood pressure, with doctors inducing labour a week later.
While in labour, an unnamed obstetrician allegedly called the girl’s father in to observe the procedure alongside Santos' mother, with the father saying he witnessed his daughter blink and her lips move as she was born.
This, he reportedly said, was proof she was alive and well.
However, according to the family’s report to the police, the doctor allegedly climbed onto the mother’s belly and “ripped off the child’s head”.
A police report states that the family, who are from the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, received an apology from the doctor for what happened, adding that they were subsequently approached by a social worker who said that the hospital would cover the costs of the baby’s funeral.
But they would only do so if the family agreed to sign documents that contained certain conditions, however, these documents allegedly stated the autopsy of the child had been performed at the hospital, that the child’s body had already been examined and that the body “would not be forwarded to the Legal Medical Institute (IML)” for analysis.
According to the family’s lawyer, the parents refused to sign the papers and filed a complaint with the police. The baby’s body was reportedly sent to the IML for further examination.
Speaking to Itatiaia, the hospital said that it “deeply regretted” the case and said they would “make every effort to investigate the facts” as they waited for the autopsy report.
The baby’s body was reportedly due for release to the parents on May 8 so it can be buried.
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