An engineer involved in the commissioning of a gas outlet at a Sydney hospital has been stood down following a fatal bungle which left a newborn baby boy dead and another with possible brain damage.
The boy was accidentally given nitrous oxide – commonly known as “happy gas” – instead of oxygen at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital on July 13, just minutes after he was born.
Last month, a similar error left a baby girl with suspected brain damage.
NSW Minister for Health Jillian Skinner has today released an interim report into the accidental gassing.
The minister fronted media saying she felt “profound sorrow and sympathy” for the families affected by the incident.
“I have spoken to both families, my heart goes out to them. This is a devastating error,” Ms Skinner said.
She also said it appeared both the hospital and the company that installed the gas were responsible for the tragedy.
The oxygen outlet was installed and certified by BOC Ltd in July 2015.
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