Relatives of recent victims have expressed faith in Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton, who has promised to do his utmost to lower Guyana’s rate of maternal deaths and to give timely answers to those families who have lost loved ones via this route or through infant mortality.
The family of Teresa Lalltoo, who in April lost her second child after medical personnel at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) chose to artificially rupture her amniotic sac, has expressed “complete faith that the new administration will be more hands on when it comes to this situation and others like it.”
In an invited comment, the Lalltoos told Stabroek News they hoped “that things will evolve from being snail-paced to a speedier and more efficient investigation.
“The time for sitting down and waiting around for reports are over, it is about time something is done.”
Lalltoo and her family had claimed that the absence of theatre staff at the institution led to her child being stillborn. The theatre, which has been without adequate staff for the last two years, was not in operation when Lalltoo suffered a cord prolapse and required a Caesarean section. The expectant mother was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. However her child died on the way and she was delivered of a stillborn girl on April 20. Since then, the Lalltoo family has been struggling to have answers and effect change at the WDRH. They were told by Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud that an investigation had been launched into the death of the baby but a month later they are still awaiting answers. The family is also calling for the theatre at WDRH to be properly staffed at all times so that this situation does not recur. Norton, in an interview with Stabroek News said that the provision of adequate facilities and human resources at WDRH and all other public health facilities was one of his priorities.
Suemede Eastman-Critchlow whose 4-month-old son Kevon Eastman-Critchlow died in March after he received what she believes were wrong vaccines at the Plaisance Health Centre, is also relieved by this promise. Eastman-Critchlow has been desperately trying to get answers from officials at the Ministry of Health about the cause of her son’s death. Speaking with Stabroek News Eastman-Critchlow said that she has been calling both the CMO and Director of the Maternal and Child Health Division Dr Janice Woolford but has not received any answers.
In April Eastman-Critchlow had been told by Persaud that an investigation, led by Woolford, had been launched. This investigation was expected to be concluded by April 30.
Since then, Eastman-Critchlow said, when she calls Persaud she is directed to contact Woolford whose secretary then directs her to contact Persaud since the investigation has been concluded and the report forwarded to his office. The young mother said she hoped Norton’s promises mean that she and her family will quickly receive access to the results of this investigation.
Natalie Caseley whose son Jaden Mars died at the GPH in 2013 is willing to “give the new administration a chance” to provide justice.
Since her son’s death in December, 2013, Caseley has carried out a campaign to ensure that he is not forgotten and that those she believes responsible for his death are found culpable. After numerous failed attempts to get justice for her son through the bureaucratic channels of the Ministry of Health Caseley resorted to judicial action. In April of this year she received permission to file for a hearing date in her suit against the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), beginning a process which according to her lawyer Nigel Hughes “can take on average three years”.
Caseley told Stabroek News in an invited comment, “I have a great level of confidence in this new administration. When I was going through my ordeal many of their members stood by me.
“In fact, when I felt that I should have a private practitioner to be part of the post mortem (PM) so no claims could be made that Jaden was unhealthy, I approached Dr Norton and he witnessed the PM and immediately after told me that he believes negligence was involved. Now that he is in this position I expect him to grant me justice.”
She stressed, “The present administration has many times promised to address my son’s case, they have mentioned him in their campaign speeches and used his image in their campaign ads so now that they are in power I am giving them a chance to do what they said they would do.”
Caseley is however not prepared to give up. She told Stabroek News that “While there is no exact time stamp on when I would like to see this happen, I’ve placed all confidence in this administration however should they fail me, which I don’t expect them to do, I’ll go back to fighting for Jaden Mars.”
