Baby critical after doctors' brawl

AN Italian mother and her new born baby are fighting for their lives after a brawl between doctors in the delivery room resulted in complications as she gave birth.

Laura Salpietro, 30, had been rushed to hospital when her waters broke but as she lay on a bed in agony, doctors argued over whether to deliver her first child naturally or by Cesarean. The row then became violent with punches being thrown while husband Matteo Molonia, 37, looked on horrified.

Yesterday officials said gynae-cologist Vincenzo Benedetto and maternity unit doctor Antonio De Vivo had both been suspended from the Polyclinic Hospital in Messina, Sicily while the matter was investigated.

The argument led to almost an hour's delay before Ms Salpietro gave birth by section. But complications immediately set in as she suffered severe blood loss and had to have a hysterectomy, while her new born son Antonio had two cardiac arrests.

Mr Molonia said: "I risk losing my family because the medical team decided to start arguing. It's incredible I still can't believe two so called professionals would behave in such a way."