A complaint has been made to the Health and Disability Commission over the case of a woman who says she was forced to give birth to a stillborn child with no medical help at Rotorua Hospital.
Jamie Bowman sat in the room holding her dead baby boy for 25 minutes afterwards.
Stuff reports the Taupō woman's ordeal started eight days earlier , on March 1, when she had a scan and found her baby's heart had stopped beating.
She was referred to Rotorua Hospital obstetrics the next day for a dilation and curettage.
Ms Bowman said she had to explain to four or five staff members why she was there, was told another scan was, then wasn't needed, and eventually told to go home by an obstetrician who said he was only training.
Ms Bowman returned to Rotorua Hospital five days later to take the first of two pills that manage late miscarriages.
"By then he had already been dead inside me for who knows how long," Ms Bowman said.
Her mother drove her to Rotorua Hospital for her second dose on March 8, but she went into labour on the way and was told on arrival the nurses were changing shifts and would help when they could.
Ms Bowman gave birth soon after with only her mother there.
"It is absolutely disgusting people can treat mothers this way and get away with it. We were left completely alone and not a single person wanted to help," Ms Bowman said.
A complaint has been made to the Health and Disability Commission.
Lakes District Health Board said Ms Bowman's treatment is being investigated.
"Lakes DHB always regrets when patients do not have a good experience during their visit to one of our hospitals," the board's risk and clinical governance director Dr Sharon Kletchko told Stuff.
"We sincerely regret any distress for this patient and her partner."
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