Relatives of an 18-year-old mother of two, who died almost three months ago as a result of injuries she sustained during a botched abortion, are calling on the Medical Council of Guyana to conduct a speedy investigation and have the doctor implicated brought to justice.
Karen Badal, of Lot 2 North Vigilance, East Coast Demerara,
was four months pregnant when she died as a result of a perforated uterus and acute peritonitis on December 30, 2011.
When Stabroek News contacted a relative of the dead woman on Monday, it was disclosed that after about seven weeks of investigation, the doctor implicated was called in for a meeting by the Medical Council, during which he denied treating Badal.
According to the relative, the Medical Council Secretary Juanita Johnson contacted the family on Friday last, “saying the doctor said he never saw the girl.”
The relative explained that the family had been unaware of the teen’s pregnancy or the abortion. On Christmas Eve, he related, the girl suffered severe belly pains, which worsened, causing her husband, Vishal Surujpaul, to take her to the Georgetown Public Hospital. She was admitted and he was then told of the abortion.
The man returned home and related what he was told. Acting on that information, the man said relatives made several visits to where the doctor who reportedly did the abortion operates a private business at Mon Repos but to no avail. However, they managed to meet with him at a city hospital, where they explained the situation and asked that he visit Badal to see the condition she had been in. The doctor declined to go along then with relatives but promised to soon go on his own. The doctor refunded the family $12,000, he said.
“I don’t know if he ever went and saw the girl but someone called as a favour to him after she died and said he is willing to pay and settle the matter but we couldn’t do anything without the investigation of the Medical Council,” the relative explained.
All of this information has since been relayed to the Medical Council and it has asked that witnesses of the reimbursement of $12,000 prepare a written statement and have it submitted. The relative noted that this has been completed and was to be submitted yesterday.
“For months we don’t hear anything from the council. We thought everything was going down after we couldn’t even find a number or address for this place but feeling a little better after they make contact with us Friday. We understand that they are doing the best they can but we are just hoping that everyone does what they have to so they can finish the investigation in a timely fashion,” he said.
Meanwhile, when asked about the state of Badal’s two-year-old and six-month-old sons, the relative indicated that they are well but miss their mother dearly.
“The two children are quite alright but they miss her… it’s a hurtful situation. The death really shook up everyone, especially since it was around the Christmas season,” he said.
Surujpaul, he added, is trying his best to care for his small family and continues to work in construction while his mother helps by caring for the children when he is at work.
“The doctor doesn’t have a heart. I mean he can come and see the children, find out how they doing. Police won’t have to get involved in that. Nobody will call the police if he come. Just for him to come and say how you doing and sympathize with the family or something but he doesn’t have a heart,” the man further stated.
The relative said there have been reports that the individual is not certified to conduct terminations though he may be in other fields. “Everyone know, Medical Council, the Georgetown Hospital, everyone said this, all the doctors at the hospital… this is not the first time someone went to him and end up at the hospital,” he said.
Police at this time cannot take further action, the relative explained, as they have to await the results of the investigation by the Medical Council. “The police drop the matter. At the time of the incident they weren’t finding the man because he was in hiding but I guess he did what he had to do,” he added.
Currently, the man said, the family is relying on anyone who can offer assistance in the matter while they hope for the best outcome.
Several efforts by Stabroek News to contact Chairman of the Medical Council Dr. Sheik Amir and Secretary Johnson for an update on the investigation proved futile.
