Bogor Regency Government Deploys Health Office Team To Help Handling Cases Of Exchanged Babies For A Year

Acting Regent of Bogor Iwan Setiawan in Dramaga, Bogor Regency, West Java, Saturday (12/8/2023). (ANTARA/M Fikri Setiawan)

BOGOR - Bogor Regency Government (Pemkab), West Java, deployed a Health Service Team (Dinkes) to handle complaints from parents from Ciseeng, Bogor, Siti Mauliah (37) who admitted that the baby was swapped when she gave birth at the hospital.

"I ordered the Head of Health to resolve this extraordinary problem," said Acting Regent of Bogor Iwan Setiawan as quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, August 12.

He explained that the Health Office Team will help Sentosa Hospital, Kemang, Bogor, in conducting DNA tests on patient B, whose baby is suspected of being swapped with baby Siti Mauliah.

"I still haven't received an official report from the Health Office. Maybe we will report it as soon as possible, we ask. There is a solution, right? It's a DNA test," he said.

Iwan Setiawan suspected that there was an element of negligence by the hospital which caused Siti Mauliah's baby to be swapped. He hopes that the incident will not happen again in the future.

"There may be sanctions (for hospitals) in my opinion, because this negligence has quite an extraordinary impact," he said.

Siti Mauliah's attorney, Rusdy Ridho, said that his party had complained about the incident to the Women and Children Service Unit (PPA) of the Bogor Police.

Initially, Siti Mauliah gave birth with a fault operation at Sentosa Hospital on July 18, 2022. At that time Siti was still breastfeeding the baby she was born with.

However, said Rusdy, when Siti breastfeeded on the second day after giving birth, her client felt there was some difference with the baby being born. Especially in the hair that looks heavier.

Then, he continued, when he was about to return from the hospital, the nurse who was serving asked Siti about the marker bracelet worn by the baby. But at that time the nurse mentioned that only the bracelet was swapped.

"It was confirmed that the reason the hospital was only exchanging bracelets. Then (the case) dragged on for this year," explained Rusdy.

He explained that about two months ago his party had held an audience with the hospital and its directors. Then the hospital gave an answer to check DNA in Jakarta.

"After 10 days later and two families were collected and the DNA test results showed that the samples A and B were negative or not biological from patient A (Siti)," he said.

Rusdy as a lawyer, tried to hold the hospital accountable to find Siti's real child.

"The suspect from the hospital who was swapped against the bracelet was patient B, but patient B did not want to do a DNA test. Finally, as a power of attorney, we made a complaint to the PPA unit of the Bogor Police," he said.

A spokesman for Sentosa Hospital, Gregorius B Djako, explained that the hospital had written to patient B, who was suspected of having the baby exchanged with baby Siti Mauliah, for DNA testing.

"We have repeatedly sent letters through patient B's attorney, first last Sunday, and secondly today via Pdf," he said.

He said the hospital continued to communicate with patient B in order to find a bright spot in this case. Because Siti Mauliah has done a DNA test and the results are negative.