Doctors hopeful 9-month-old Hong Kong girl, suspected to be victim of abuse, can undergo operation soon
- Tuen Mun Hospital has scheduled MRI and if her condition permits, doctors will arrange for cranial bone reset surgery, according to Facebook post
- Woman hired through government-funded scheme was earlier arrested on suspicion of child abuse after baby found to have suffered brain blood clot and fell into coma
Doctors are hopeful a nine-month-old Hong Kong baby alleged to have been abused by a babysitter can undergo brain surgery next month, as the child has shown some improvement and responded to stimuli.
A Facebook post on Thursday said staff at Tuen Mun Hospital, where the girl was being treated, had provided a written report to her parents with details of the child’s condition.
“The hospital has scheduled a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination for [the girl] in April. If the patient’s condition permits, they will also arrange for a cranial bone reset surgery,” it said.
“Based on observations today, the child showed a healthy complexion and was able to respond to external stimuli.
“However, her mobility and responsiveness on the right side of her body remain noticeably suboptimal. We are hopeful that upon completing brain surgery and subsequent rehabilitation treatment, her condition will gradually improve.”
The post concluded: “The parents have said their daughter is in urgent need of help from paediatric neurologists and ophthalmologists. Once again, we appeal to anyone who can provide assistance.”
Her parents had earlier expressed in an emotional plea that their daughter could be left permanently paralysed and blind.
A 33-year-old woman, hired through a government-funded childcare scheme, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse in January after the baby under her care was found to have suffered a brain blood clot and fell into a coma.
Hong Kong child allegedly abused by babysitter could be left paralysed and blind
The parents had enlisted her services through Yan Oi Tong, which manages the programme, while their domestic helper was on vacation.
The Social Welfare Department said the injured baby was the first child the woman had cared for, and that she had recently completed training,
Police earlier said the babysitter’s bail had been extended until April.
The post was made in a community Facebook group established in 2020. According to its profile, it started as a supplies exchange platform during the pandemic, but later evolved into an organisation of people serving society’s most vulnerable.
