The Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) is again facing an accusation that its tardy response to a patient in its care has resulted in death.
Eighteen-year-old Jason Louis of Amelia’s Ward, Linden died at the LHC on Sunday night, and, according to his father Aldrin Louis and grandmother Pauline Hawker, if staff at the hospital responded faster and offered better care he would still be alive.
From birth Jason faced many challenges. When his mother was six months pregnant with him she was involved in an accident resulting in him being born prematurely. “The nurses and doctors back then fought really hard to keep him alive and they succeeded, I wish they had operated the same way to keep my grandson alive this time because we loved him dearly,” Hawker said.
As a result of his premature birth, Jason was blind in one eye; his feet were underdeveloped which resulted in him walking on his knees and he was unable to do anything for himself. Rifts between his mother and father resulted in him being moved to several parts of the country to live with either parent. Aldrin said the teen had been in his mother’s care for some time; after the Linden Probation and Family Welfare Department granted her custody. The man said three months ago he learnt that his son had been placed in a home and was not being cared for properly. “I went and get my son and brought him home to Linden to live with me,” he said. Hawker added that “You wouldn’t like to see the condition of my grandson when he came from the home, there were rashes all over his body, he had ring-worn everywhere; the palm of his hands were peeling, it was bad enough.”
The following day, Jason was taken to the LHC for an assessment and care and it was discovered that he was suffering from heart and kidney complications. Medication was prescribed and the lad was discharged. Two weeks later his caregivers noticed that he was experiencing difficulties breathing and his father administered antibiotics to him. “The breathing improved a bit but we noticed he was vomiting up everything from last Wednesday and we decided to take him to the hospital where he was seen by a doctor (name given),” he said.
At a subsequent visit to the LHC, another doctor told the family that the teen was suffering from a lung infection and advised them to continue administering medications given by the previous doctor. “I told the doctor that it was hard to get him to keep the medication down because of the vomiting but I would have tried so he went back home with me,” Aldrin related.
Since there was no improvement in his condition Jason was taken back to the hospital on Thursday night. He was diagnosed as being dehydrated and was given an infusion. “When the infusion was done they told us to continue the treatment again and he was sent home again. They didn’t keep him in,” his father noted. On Friday they were back at the hospital since there were no signs of improvement overnight. This time the family said they sat in the waiting area of the LHC’s emergency unit for more than three hours without being attended to. At that time, the medical team was faced with the rush and confusion that surrounded survivors from the Watooka club boat mishap.
Admitted
Frustrated, the family returned home and took a decision to take the teen to see a private doctor the next day. The family said Dr Riyasat advised them that Jason needed to be admitted to the hospital for treatment and he was going to call the hospital to ensure that that was done. “By the time we reached the hospital he had already called,” the family noted. Dr Riysat is also the senior medical officer at the LHC.
Relatives said that it then took four to five hours before the child was admitted to the hospital during which time he received no medication. An infusion was started on him some time Saturday night but when relatives visited on Sunday they discovered that the drip had been discontinued. They said they were told that the teen had attempted to come off of the bed and the infusion came off. “You could have seen that he was in a lot of pain since the day before and we had to plead to get help for him,” Aldrin said.
The family said they then advised the nurse to strap him to the bed but she disagreed. They also said that all day Sunday no doctor attended Jason and on Sunday night they noticed that he was struggling to breathe. At that time a doctor checked the lad and diagnosed that he was suffering from pneumonia. “Then they gon tell me that it didn’t show in the x-ray the he had pneumonia; they give he a injection and he fell asleep, we went home the next thing we get a call that he dead, Aldrin said.
Jason’s relatives are contending that had he been properly assessed and treated and kept in the hospital’s care he could have been alive to celebrate his 19th birthday on December 29. “They were too slow, what because he was handicapped? We loved him, he was special to us and they were to do what they are paid to do despite his physical abilities. We believed that the injection that they give him was too strong,” Jason’s grieving grandmother said, as his father echoed her sentiments.
Relatives also told this newspaper that they have been getting the royal runaround from the hospital in their efforts to get the name of the injection and the dosage administered. Up to yesterday they had not taken the matter to the Chief Executive Officer of the LHC or the Regional Health Officer but contended that they were planning to do so some time today.
The LHC has been under the microscope recently regarding the deaths of two new-born babies. Reports into the deaths are still incomplete.
