Baby girl allegedly beaten by maid dies
Nine month old had suffered a fractured skull and severe internal injuries from the alleged assault
Anine-month-old baby who was allegedly beaten by an Indonesian housemaid was pronounced dead at Al Qasimi Hospital yesterday.
Emirati baby Salama Al Mazmi was fighting for her life for the past two weeks after being admitted to the hospital in a coma.
The alleged assault on the baby by the housemaid, 28, who later confessed to her crime, resulted in several injuries, including a fractured skull, internal bleeding and bruises on various parts of her body.
Both Salem Al Mazmi, the father of the baby, who works in the military in Abu Dhabi, and his wife were in deep shock after the news and have said that they are waiting for the toughest judgement to be taken against the maid, according to an Arabic daily.
Dr Satish Krishnan, a consultant and neurological surgeon at Al Qasimi Hospital, said the baby was in a very poor condition when she was admitted to the hospital and had undergone a delicate brain surgery to reduce the bleeding in her brain.
Baby Salama was placed on life support and a ventilator, he added. “She suffered from severe brain damage and was admitted to the emergency room with a very weak heart. She was unconscious and had trouble breathing. She was then admitted to the paediatric section of the hospital and underwent the required medical tests and CT scans. The results showed a blood clot in her brain from an old injury,” he said.
He added that the scans had also shown a skull fracture on the right side and broken ribs. “She suffered skull swelling as well,” he said.
The baby’s parents and their two Indonesian housemaids were interrogated following the incident, but the parents were not found guilty of the assault on the baby.
Salama was one of twins, but her twin died 12 days after being born, according to the parents. The couple has a three-year-old girl, Shahad.
Police have already arrested the housemaid and the case has been transferred to the public prosecution.