Vanessa Lewis Sahadeo died as a result of serious complications that developed during surgery while delivering her baby at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital on Friday, an autopsy revealed yesterday.
The autopsy was done at the Georgetown Public Hospital by Dr Nehaul Singh upon the insistence of relatives. It found that Sahadeo died as a result of hypovolemic shock, abdominal and pelvic haemorrhage, lung distress, and brain edema with cerebellum herniation.
Further, on the post mortem report in one of the boxes which asks for “other significant conditions contributing to the death, but not related to the disease or condition causing it,” the doctor listed “recent surgery.”
The woman’s uncle, Joseph Lewis, yesterday told Stabroek News, that her parents remain devastated about the entire situation. However, he said that autopsy found that Sahadeo did not die as a result of any previous illnesses.
He then explained that four relatives arrived at the Georgetown Public Hospital yesterday morning, as it was planned that Dr Nehaul Singh would be conducting the autopsy on Sahadeo. However, he said that they were then informed that another doctor would have to do the autopsy without any reasons given for the sudden change.
He related that the relatives immediately objected to this development and were then told that the autopsy would be done around lunch time. However, around 10 am, they received information that the autopsy had commenced and they then insisted that a relative must be present.
According to the uncle, their demands were first met with reservations but they continued to insist, after which a cousin was allowed to observe. “He has some knowledge so we wanted him in there.”
After the autopsy, Lewis was informed that there was severe damage to his niece’s internal organs.
The relatives were told that the autopsy results will be handed over to the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony.
Meanwhile, the uncle yesterday stressed that the family believes that the death of the woman and her baby should bring about immediate changes in the regional health sector especially with the removal of senior persons, who failed to get a handle on the situation, which ultimately led to death of his niece.
The man noted, that Sahadeo’s parents believe that the only good that can come from this situation is change, which will ensure that other mothers do not suffer the same fate as their daughter and her baby.
Don’t make nurses scapegoats
Lewis is urging that those in authority hold the people responsible for the death of Sahadeo and her baby accountable and not just make the nurses scapegoats. “Don’t make nurses scapegoats. We want the authorities to take action and not just make nurses scapegoats”, he insisted yesterday.
The family were initially planning to hold a peaceful protest outside of the New Amsterdam Public Hospital today and relatives of other mothers who have lost their babies at the same hospital were also expected to join, however this was cancelled yesterday after the family received word that members of the APNU+AFC would be joining the protest.
The family maintains that while they want their voices to be heard, they do not want the death of loved ones to be used for “political mileage.”
