A Banteay Meanchey province clinic accused of malpractice after the death of a 4-month-old baby last week was cleared of wrongdoing by a group of investigators from the provincial Health Department.

According to Keo Pich Sovan, the deputy chief of the provincial Health Department who led the investigation, the baby may have had an intestinal blockage, which caused the baby’s sudden death – not anti-colic medicine drops given to the parents by the clinic, as the mother had claimed.

“That syrup is used a lot to cure bloating in children and causes no danger. I think the baby had a serious disease.

It was maybe caused by a congested intestine,” he said yesterday, adding that the parents may have also administered additional medication at home.

The child’s mother, Say Chanthorn, had also blamed the clinic for turning the baby away after its symptoms had worsened. She said last week that the clinic had acknowledged it had not done all it could, and had paid an undisclosed amount in compensation.

Chanthorn denied mixing medications yesterday, but declined to comment further “because the case has already ended”.