Swallowed swabs do not indicate malpractice, says doctor

A review into the two recent cases of children swallowing part of a swab during the specimen collection for the Covid-19 test has been concluded showing no evidence of medical malpractice, according to Dr Leong Iek Hou of the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center.
In July, a seven-year-old boy reportedly bit off and swallowed the top of the specimen swab while being tested.
On August 10, a nine-month-old girl also reportedly swallowed a part of the swab.
Both were taking to the public hospital for medical checkup. The hospital did not find any foreign objects in the stomachs of the two individuals. They did not show discomfort after their respective experiences.
With regards to the infant, the next day, medical staff discovered the broken swab in her feces.
The conclusion of the review is that both incidents were not medical malpractice, Leong said. The ground for that conclusion is that swallowing part of a specimen swab is a known risk. A known risk becoming an actual incident does not constitute medical malpractice, she explained. AL