Tali Halevi was convicted of giving birth to a high-risk woman at home • The doctor's testimony from the hospital: "There was a real danger to the newborn's life, only a miracle saved him"
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The Ministry of Health suspended the license of midwife Tali Halevi for three years, after giving birth to a house she received in violation of procedures, jeopardizing the health of the mother and the baby - following the decision of retired judge Amnon Strashnov, the Ministry of Health's Admissibility Judge.
The midwife was convicted of negligence in her role and a baby born at home was later hospitalized in critical condition.
Tali Halevi and her husband, Dr. Ilan Halevi, run a birth center called Jahara Doula, in the yard of their home in the Sharon area. She was convicted of giving birth at home at high risk, which was forbidden to give birth at home according to a Ministry of Health circular: the mother had a surgical scar in her womb and suffered In gestational diabetes, the fetus that was born was larger than 4 kg and had only one kidney.
Also, in the previous two births the woman gave birth by caesarean section.
Which according to Ministry of Health procedures prevents a third birth in a home birth.
The baby was born suffering from respiratory distress and a low Apgar score.
Despite this, according to the verdict, the midwife went to MDA only about half an hour after the birth, and the baby was taken by ambulance to Laniado Hospital when he was in a serious condition and breathed for three days, suffered seizures and received medical treatment. He also suffered from mild cerebral edema and hematological disorder. When his condition is good, but there is a fear that he will suffer from future developmental impairment.
The obstetrician Dr. Yuri Perlitz, who treated the midwife and baby at the hospital, stated in his testimony: "I have been an obstetrician for 30 years, but I have not yet seen a case of home birth that put both the mother and the baby in real life danger.
Only a miracle and dedicated medical care saved the baby's life. "
"The defendant behaved inappropriately in the profession of midwife and even neglected serious negligence in fulfilling her professional role, and only miraculously did the incident not end in a major disaster," noted retired judge Strashnov, who noted that the midwife's behavior was "bad and serious."
Prosecutor Advocate Tomer Degani of the Ministry of Health noted that the midwife "performed the operations in full awareness that they were prohibited.
She chose to take the law into her own hands and thereby endangered the mother and the fetus by harming and planning in advance. "He further noted that the midwife did not express remorse for her actions.
Halevy's attorney, Advocate Liran Zilberman, claimed she had no previous convictions, noting that she could not help but accept the birth so as not to entrust the mother to her fate without assistance. "The expectation from a medical staff member to abandon a person to his fate is inhuman."