A NEWBORN that was accidentally burned by a nurse at Shenzhen People’s Hospital in March died Friday after a month in critical condition.

    The child had been suffering from various physical disorders from birth and never left the hospital.

    The family of the newborn and the hospital dispute the cause of the baby’s death, but both have agreed to allow a forensic examination team from Sun Yat-sen University determine the cause of the baby’s death.

    The newborn was delivered prematurely March 17 in the Shenzhen hospital and has since stayed in an incubator. The mother was suffering from gestational diabetes before giving birth. The accidental burn caused a coin-sized burn around the child’s left ankle and others on his abdomen, genitals and inner thigh.

    The parents only became aware that their newborn had been burned by the nurse using a lighter to sterilize needles six days after the injury when the father was sent an anonymous text message from a hospital staff member.

    Doctors in Guangzhou had been invited to Shenzhen for a group consultation on the burned newborn. Along with the burns, the baby suffered from a brain disorder. The experts later explained to the family that the newborn might not survive because of various health problems the child was born with.

    The newborn’s family claimed the burning accident was to blame. The hospital insisted that the baby’s complicated physical condition was the real reason.

    A spokesperson from the hospital confirmed they have reached an agreement with the family on a forensic examination of the body to determine the cause of the baby’s death.

    “We will certainly shoulder our responsibility after the result of the examination comes out,” the spokesperson said.(Zhang Qian)