First do no harm

I know this to be one of the initial lines of the Hippocratic Oath. So I ask, how does taping a pacifier onto a newborn baby's face not harmful? How does taping a pacifier onto a newborn baby's face a form of treatment that alleviates pain and suffering? For sure the same question is being asked by the parents of two newborns who were known to have taped pacifiers onto their mouths in the same hospital right here in Cebu.

According to the nurses, they do this to keep the baby quiet, apparently with the blessings, even orders by doctors. The tape is apparently meant to prevent the pacifier from falling. I am not a medical practitioner, but I do know that when a baby no longer wants to suck on a pacifier, it just spits it out. That's precisely why it is called a pacifier. When the baby is pacified, he no longer needs nor wants it. Taping it to his face no longer gives the baby a choice. The tape forces the pacifier on him.

What if the baby burps out his milk while having a taped pacifier on him? Wouldn't that baby aspirate, causing dreadful complications? Wouldn't that baby literally drown on his own vomit? And why is the baby being forced to keep quiet in the first place? For the benefit of the nurses and doctors?

The fact that both incidents happened in the same maternity center here in Cebu, begs me to ask if this is part of their staff training. Is it in the medical and nursing manuals? Is it a legitimate form of treatment, if both nurses and doctors in this particular center seem to agree on it?

The image of the taped pacifier has surely gone around the globe. It paints an image of a stupid health care system of the country. This single photo may just kill the medical tourism industry this country is trying to nurture. All because some nurses want some peace and quiet, while at work!

Remember that video uploaded on the internet in 2008 of doctors and nurses laughing boisterously while a procedure to remove a canister from a patient was ongoing? That by the way was also in Cebu. The maternity center, the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine Nursing Association must investigate these incidents. Not unless they just want to cover up for their colleagues. If need be, there must be sanctions. Patients come to hospitals for cure, relief from pain and to get much needed rest. Not to be ridiculed, nor put under such idiotic procedures such as taped pacifiers. Babies, like any other patient, have rights.

Remember, first do no harm. Always.