A NEWBORN burned one week ago by a nurse by accident at Shenzhen People’s Hospital is now in critical condition and on life support.

    Doctors from Guangzhou estimated that his situation would continue to worsen due to the premature baby’s encephalopathy, the Daily Sunshine reported yesterday.

    Experts from four hospitals in Guangzhou were invited Sunday to Shenzhen People’s Hospital for a group consultation on the burned newborn, who suffers from encephalopathy. After discussions, the experts explained to the family that the newborn might not survive from the complications caused by a genetic flaw and metabolic factors.

    A spokesperson from the hospital said that the mother of the newborn, Zhan Meiyi, was only about 31 weeks pregnant when she delivered the baby in a C-section and the baby weighed only 1.58 kilograms at birth.

    “In most cases, infants born at 34 weeks or less and weigh less than 2 kilograms are at a risk to suffer apnea. The probability is around 80 percent,” said the spokesperson.

    The newborn was delivered March 17 and was found last week by his father to have abnormally pale skin and weak breath in an incubator.

    One of the nurses in charge of the newborn admitted to it six days after she burned the baby by accident when sterilizing a needle with a lighter. The parents were left in the dark for nearly a week, which sparked strong condemnation from the public.

    The baby suffers a coin-sized burn on the left ankle and other burns on his abdomen, genitals and inner thigh.

    The hospital made a public apology and vowed to punish the nurse and her superior by withholding their pay for a month.

    The spokesperson said the hospital has also decided to stop using lighters to sterilize needles, a practice that led to the newborn being burned. The hospital could not be reached for further comment yesterday. (Zhang Qian)