A MOTHER whose unborn baby was disposed of in an NHS bin has accused the hospital of treating her child like a piece of rubbish.
Sarah Biggart lost her son through miscarriage, and he was found in a clinical waste bin at Monklands Hospital in North Lanarkshire in March.
It was only made known to the public after a whistleblower came forward.
Ms Biggart said: "It's unbearable to lose a baby but for his body to be thrown away like a bit of rubbish is horrifying."
The 33-year-old was being treated at Monklands Hospital for depression when she suffered a miscarriage on March 14, just 13 weeks into her pregnancy.
She requested that the remains of her baby be cremated but later learned what had happened to his body when a doctor came to see her a few days later.
Ms Biggart said: "He told me my baby had been thrown into a clinical waste bin - and then he upped my medication. Although it was a shock to be told the way I was, it was better than never learning the truth."
"I'm still deeply distressed but I'm determined to do all I can to make sure nobody else has to go through something like this."
Health Secretary Alex Neil, who is also Ms Biggart's local MSP, said: "I'm still waiting for NHS Lanarkshire to tell me why this happened. It's a tragedy for anyone to lose a baby but for this to happen afterwards is unacceptable."
Monklands Hospital has issued an apology and has launched an investigation.
NHS Lanarkshire said: "We regret any incident where a patient feels they have not received appropriate care."
The Scottish Government said: "We expect NHS boards to ensure lessons are learned."
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