Neonatal Paediatrician from the Castle Hospital in Colombo, Saman Kumara has highlighted the unethical practice of some doctors during fertility treatment in Sri Lanka, citing the recent birth of sextuplets.
Dr. Saman Kumara pointed out that it was ethical to place two fertilised eggs in the uterus during treatment, but some doctors place more than two fertilised eggs resulting in the birth of multiple infants at one birth, risking the lives of the children.
He revealed this while addressing the media on the birth of sextuplets at the Castle Hospital in Colombo, who he said are on life support at present.
Providing an update on the infants, he said the sextuplets are currently receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with five being treated at the hospital and one child being treated at the Colombo National Hospital.
“The infants are currently surviving on life support. They have been born prematurely at 26 weeks and are of less weight. We are able to provide the best treatment due to the availability of equipment and necessary medication,” he said.
Dr. Saman Kumara said that the woman from Ragama who had birthed the children had been childless for 06 years after which she had undergone fertility treatment.
He said, however, the failure to adhere to ethical practice by some doctors most often results in the infants being at risk due to premature birth, like the sextuplets born at Castle Hospital.
“Such births are not only risky but are a burden for the parents who are most often from low-income families, while hospitals also struggle to treat such infants, with the best treatment only possible on the availability of medication and equipment,” he said.
Dr. Saman Kumara highlighted the need for the regulation of fertility treatment to prevent such risks. (NewsWire)
