…guilty nurses to face consequences, says – Dr. Frank Anthony
By Lisa Hamilton
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said on Monday that the investigation into the death of the Corentyne, Berbice mother and child has been completed and those responsible for their deaths will face consequences.
He made the announcement at the National Assembly during the budget debate as he spoke to the Government’s plan to open up a new maternity ward at the New Amsterdam Hospital.
“We had a very unfortunate death at the New Amsterdam Hospital and, already, Mr. Speaker, we have sent an investigation team and they went there yesterday and they have completed an investigation and when I get those recommendations we will take action against the nurses and the doctors and whoever is at fault in that unfortunate death,” he vowed.
Last Friday, 31-year-old Vanessa Sahadeo of Corentyne, Berbice died after giving birth to her child who also died during delivery. The young mother of three was officially due to deliver on Thursday last but began having pain since Monday last and was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where she was admitted.
She was told by doctors that her blood count and blood pressure were very low. On Friday she went into labour but her child died in the process. Mother of the deceased, Claris Cecil was made aware of the death of her daughter’s child and rushed to the hospital.
She told the media that when she arrived at the hospital she saw her daughter lying motionless on a stretcher motionless and she was cold to the touch. However, Cecil said that when she asked the nurse what happened to her daughter she was told by a doctor that Sahadeo is not dead but that she had to be transferred to Georgetown for emergency medical attention.
Sahadeo was subsequently taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The Ministry of Health said in a release that the woman died at the GPHC.
Family members of Sahadeo are calling on the health authorities for a thorough probe into the death of the young woman.
“They lie to me, they keep telling me my daughter is not dead and when I go and feel my daughter she body cold cold. I run to my husband and tell him Venie dead and he start crying. When we ask them who did the operation on my daughter nobody answering. One time they say the doctor not around and then them say the doctor deh upstairs,” Cecil said.
“Another nurse tell my husband that the afterbirth come out before the baby but that cannot be true, baby gatto come first and then afterbirth does come out. When them done with that them tell we that the baby squeeze and how the baby get blue blue but this morning (Saturday) when my husband go back by the hospital he see the baby and the baby was not blue, the baby was fine and they said the baby was not fully mature but when we see the baby this morning everything was normal.”
