'Facts clarified': Husband of woman who lost unborn baby apologises, says it 'may not' have happened at NUH A&E

SINGAPORE — The husband of a pregnant woman who lost her unborn baby said they now accept that they could have lost the child before arriving at the emergency unit of National University Hospital (NUH) and are sorry for the “unintended speculation and abuse” of hospital staff members.

The retraction from the man — who goes by the Facebook username “Mee Pok Tah” — came after the couple clarified the facts of the incident “after a few meetings” with NUH, he said.

In his latest Facebook post on Thursday (March 31), the man said that contrary to what he had initially written last week on March 21 where he claimed that his wife was left unattended at the emergency medicine department of NUH, “the nurses did check on my wife at intervals”.

“Firstly, on the profuse bleeding, my wife was bleeding profusely when she was at home but when she arrived at hospital emergency medicine department, the blood has subsided but not to a certain extent that bleeding has stopped," he wrote.

“Secondly, the nurses did check on my wife at intervals.” 

The man added that based on information provided by NUH, the loss of the unborn child “may not have occurred” at the hospital’s emergency unit.

“I recognise and apologise that my original post on Facebook has created unintended speculation and abuse of staffs. After clarifications on the facts with the hospital, I would like to thank them for saving my wife.

“We wish to clarify that matter has been resolved and we will not be making any further comments on her case,” he said.

The man railed last week on social media, claiming that his wife lost the unborn baby after waiting at the department for two hours, despite bleeding profusely from her birth canal.

NUH later apologised in a public statement and said that it “should have done more to provide closer monitoring and care”.

Its CEO, Professor Aymeric Lim, said that after the woman was transferred to the labour ward, she was “immediately attended to and cared for by a team led by two senior consultants”, but an ultrasound scan of the baby showed the “absence of a foetal heartbeat, caused by placental abruption, a rare and unpredictable pregnancy complication”.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung weighed in on the incident last Friday, saying that his ministry would work with NUH on a "thorough investigation of the matter".

In response to TODAY’s queries, NUH said on Thursday: "We know this has been a difficult period for the couple. We will continue to support them as they find closure.”