Gammy has a fit heart, doctors say

Gammy has a fit heart, doctors say

Parents hit back at his surrogate mum

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

A cardiology expert has confirmed Down's syndrome boy, Gammy — who is at the centre of a surrogacy abandonment scandal — has no life-threatening heart disease as earlier reported, and his pneumonia is almost completely cured.

Surrogacy is a business in Thailand, as well as a service - as this recent advertisement by the Bangkok Hospital shows.

Samitivej Sriracha Hospital spoke to reporters Tuesday to confirm Gammy has a strong and healthy heart, contrary to earlier reports in the international media that the boy has a life-threatening congenital heart condition that could kill him at any time.

The reports of his supposedly severe condition prompted donations that have poured in from the public. So far, the money raised for Gammy is more than six million baht.

Wijit Panayingpaisarn, Samitivej Siracha Hospital spokesman, brought Pattharamon Janbua, Gammy's surrogate mother, before the media.

Ms Pattharamon, 21, is the surrogate for an unidentified Australian couple who took Gammy's healthy twin sister but allegedly left Gammy behind.

Ms Pattharamon said yesterday she would be happy to have the boy's healthy twin sister returned to her, after learning from overseas media reports yesterday that the father is a convicted sex offender.

"Personally, when I heard the news I was shocked but I can't say anything much right now,'' Ms Pattharamon said.

Mr Wijit said Gammy was first brought to the hospital because he had difficulty breathing. After he was admitted, Gammy's condition improved daily.

"He has pneumonia which is quite a normal ailment for children of this age," said Mr Wijit, adding that he is now almost cured. We had a cardiology expert run a check on his heart and we are happy to say he has no heart disease to worry about," said Mr Wijit.

The Australian government is considering a response, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the case as "a tragic human situation".

Court documents show Gammy's Australian father was convicted of sexually abusing at least three girls in the 1990s, Australian media reports say. The unidentified man was jailed for three years for molesting two girls under 10 and later convicted and sentenced on charges of indecency involving a 13-year-old, the reports said.

The Australian couple, who have come under heavy criticism, say Ms Pattharamon has misled the world over what happened, according to a friend of the family.

In remarks issued through their friend to their local newspaper the Bunbury Mail, they said they did not know he had Down's syndrome, although they were aware he had a congenital heart condition.

"Gammy was sick when he was born and the biological parents were told he would not survive and he had a day, at best, to live and to say goodbye," their woman friend told the newspaper, without saying who told them this.

The birth of the twins was supposed to take place at a major international hospital in Thailand but Ms Pattharamon went to another facility, which made the surrogacy agreement void, according to the newspaper. This meant the couple had no legal rights to the babies although the surrogate mother finally agreed to hand over the girl, the report said.

"The biological parents were heartbroken they couldn't take their boy with them and never wanted to give him up, but to stay would risk them losing their daughter also," the friend said.

She added that allegations that the couple "ignored" Gammy when they visited the hospital were untrue and they had bought gifts for both infants. "They prayed for Gammy to survive but were told by doctors that he was too sick, not because of the Down's syndrome but because of his heart and lung conditions and an infection."

The friend added the couple spent two months in Thailand but due to political unrest at the time felt they had no option but to leave without Gammy.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health Service Support (HSS) yesterday inspected a clinic on Phetchaburi Tat Mai Road in Bangkok suspected to be linked to the Gammy surrogacy case.

HSS director-general Boonruang Triruangworawat said the clinic and its doctors obtained legal sanatorium licences to perform assisted reproductive technology services.

However, the department found the clinic offered surrogacy services to prospective parents where the surrogate mother who was carrying a baby for them was not a relative of theirs, which is against Medical Council of Thailand (MCT) regulations.

The names of the physicians would be sent to MCT for further investigation. The name of Gammy's mother was not found on the clinic's patient list. 

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