Source: www.nytimes.com
A woman suffering from abdominal pain was sent home three times, given only painkillers with no further testing done after repeatedly visiting her doctor’s office in Brooklyn. She was 8 months pregnant. The woman went into labor at her home and lost the baby and was eventually awarded $1 by the hospital after numerous appeals.
Another mother in the Bronx had been overlooked by her hospital continuously after she experienced fetal distress and a delayed Ceasarean section. A state investigator found that the hospital caring for her ignored an “ominous pattern,” and the woman delivered a stillborn baby. She was offered only $500,000 by the hospital to settle her malpractice suit.
New York recently began allowing mothers to sue for emotional distress and suffering due to medical carelessness during pregnancy and delivery. This offers a “rare view of the legal system’s first computations to set a new value on this singular type of suffering,” points out the New York Times. Mapping uncharted territory in reimbursement will hopefully help many who suffer from this specific type of medical malpractice.
