A Portuguese doctor has been suspended after a pregnant woman under his care gave birth to a baby without a face due to his negligence.
The parents of baby Rodrigo, whose face had no nose, eyes, or part of a skull, filed a complaint against their Portuguese doctor because they had not been aware of their son's severe physical abnormalities until he was born earlier this month.
Dr. Artur Carvalho was suspended by medical council officials over allegations of negligence. The complaint brought to light other complaints dating back over 10 years involving other babies. Reports of the case sparked outrage in the country.
Baby Rodrigo’s mother had been under the care of Dr. Carvalho for three ultrasound scans throughout her pregnancy at a private clinic. According to the parents, the doctor raised no concerns about the fetus’ health during that period.
The mother then opted to have a fourth, more detailed, 5D ultrasound at a different clinic on the six month of her pregnancy. She was informed about the possibility of abnormalities during that scan but Dr. Carvalho only dismissed the concerns.
Rodrigo’s aunt narrated: "He explained that sometimes some parts of the face are not visible (on ultrasounds)... when the baby's face is glued to the belly of the mother.” Rodrigo’s abnormalities became clear when he was born on October 7 at Sao Bernardo Hospital in Setubal, Portugal.
Although the parents were told that the baby only had hours to live, he has survived for over two weeks under hospital care.
After Rodrigo’s case became prominent, at least six medical complaints dating back to 2013 were found to be currently open against Carvalho. Several other parents have also shared their personal experience of Carvalho's alleged failure to detect health issues in their own pregnancies.
Miguel Guimaraes, president of Portugal's medical association, last week gave a press conference where he claimed to have contacted Dr. Carvalho, given the "social alarm" caused by the case and that he had agreed to stop performing procedures while investigations are on-going.
