Hong Kong parents in welfare custody case say 2-month-old baby sick in hospital
Infant Danny sent to hospital with fever and could be tested for meningitis, with father saying boy needs breast milk and lamenting limited access
The father of two-month-old Danny, Tsang Wai-bong, said on Monday that he and his partner Kwan Pui-sin were only allowed to visit their child -- currently in a care home -- once a week and accused authorities of neglecting the baby’s need for breast milk.
According to the unmarried couple, Danny had developed a fever and a cough and was sent to Ruttonjee Hospital’s A&E department in Wan Chai at 3pm on Sunday. He was subsequently transferred to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan at about 10pm.
The parents were told at about 11pm that doctors suggested a possible lumbar puncture to test for meningitis. They arrived at the hospital for further updates at about 1.30am and were told that the procedure could be necessary if Danny’s condition worsened, to check for meningitis or other central nervous system disorders.
According to the Hospital Authority, a lumbar puncture or spinal tap is a common diagnostic procedure performed on children to obtain cerebrospinal fluid for examination or to measure the pressure inside a patient’s skull.
The couple said that one parent was allowed to stay overnight in the ward to accompany Danny, and that the child’s condition had improved significantly after he had been breastfed by Kwan.