On Friday (Feb. 24), Fidel Sinclair was admiring his newborn son Nikko at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip in Long Island, New York when he observed one of the most disturbing incidents a parent could witness — his baby being abused by a staff member.
Nikko was only two days old and receiving antibiotics at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when Sinclair decided to stroll down the hall and watch. As the proud parent filmed his newborn through a poorly drawn curtain, he saw one of the nurses forcefully slam the infant, Fox News said on Sunday (Feb. 26). “I’m happy I was there. God sent me,” Sinclair said of the matter. “If it wasn’t for God… we would have never seen none of that happen. And that would have kept happening through the night, not only to him but to the other babies, too,” he added.
Consuelo Saravia, the newborn’s mother, described Sinclair’s footage as “heartbreaking.” After seeing the video of little Nikko being mistreated, she confronted the nurse. “I told her, ‘I don’t want you to touch my child! You just slammed him.’ She said, ‘Oh no, if you think I mishandled him or anything, I’m sorry,’” Saravia revealed. The mother added, “I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t even sleep.” The faculty member’s actions were reported to the hospital.
“Upon learning of this incident, swift and immediate action was taken, including conducting an investigation and consequently terminating the individual involved. Additionally, we reported the individual to the Department of Health for further review. Keeping our patients safe remains our paramount concern,” Catholic Health, who owns Good Samaritan University Hospital shared in a statement. They continued, “It is standard procedure to have curtains in the neonatal ICU to provide privacy for the patients and their families, and because services are being administered at the bedside. Immediate family members are permitted inside the neonatal ICU to spend time with their loved ones.”