The two maternity deaths at the Georgetown Public Hospital [GPHC] over the weekend occurred because of complications and an internal investigation into both cases has begun, Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said yesterday.
Simultaneously, the Minister said that an external independent investigation will be done to ascertain if there were any gaps during the delivery of healthcare to both patients.
Speaking during yesterday’s COVID-19 briefing, the Minister also said that it is the GPHC’s protocol that maternal deaths occurring at the institution undergo a thorough internal review by a special staff committee. An external investigation will be done by the maternal mortality review committee (a body independent of the hospital). Dr Anthony said that all documentation relating to both cases has been sent to the committees. He further stated that findings from the internal and external reviews will aid the Ministry in addressing any gaps in delivering maternal health care.
The ministry has not identified the two women who died.
In the first case, a 40-year-old Region Six patient died on Saturday at the Ocean View Infectious Diseases Hospital after she and her unborn child developed a number of complications. Anthony said that the patient was admitted first at the New Amsterdam hospital, and after having developed a number of complications, had to be intubated and later referred to George-town. The patient and unborn child died at the COVID hospital despite numerous attempts by doctors to save both.
In the second case, which occurred on Sunday, the hospital disclosed that a 19–year old patient died and one of her twins was stillborn. Anthony said that this patient had preeclampsia (a high blood pressure disorder) even before being admitted to the Dia-mond Diagnostic Centre. He further said that this condition resulted in the patient having several sei-zures. The patient was then referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where because of her complications, she died.
These two deaths follow closely the passing of two other women and their unborn children at the GPHC. On October 20th, Rashanna Dindayal, 31, and her unborn child died. Rashanna, a mother of two from Lodge, apparently collapsed at the hospital while making her way to the washroom unattended. She was said to have suffered a severe head wound and died thereafter.
The dead woman’s mother, Shairma Dindayal told Stabroek News that around 10 am on October 20th she received a call from the GPHC saying her daughter was in a critical condition and she should go to the hospital urgently. When she arrived she was put to sit downstairs where she was initially told by a doctor that Rashanna’s heart rate and blood count were low. At this point she said that the doctor said nothing about her daughter’s fall. According to Shairma, the doctor told her that her daughter “can’t make it”.
Shairma then questioned the doctor’s view because she recalled that on Wednesday, October 19th, after her daughter began experiencing labour pains, she was rushed to the hospital and admitted at around 3 am. She said that around 7 am that day, Rashanna called her and said, ”Mommy I’m 4 cm dilated, and I will call you because the hospital don’t have any internet.” After that she was positive that her daughter was in a good condition and questioned how all of a sudden she could have deteriorated. Shairma was eventually told that a blood vessel had burst in her daughter’s head and that she passed away. The hospital has since said that Rashanna only had two pre-natal visits – suggesting that she had not been attentive to her health – and that she had fallen after suffering cardiac arrest.
In the second case, on October 29th, 39-year-old mother of five, Navita Maraj, and her unborn child died at the GPHC at around 1:30 am. According to her husband, Phillip James, she had been administered Oxytocin tablets to induce labour. Based on his account, she was considered a high-risk patient because of an unspecified complication, and it had been agreed that she would undergo a Caesarean section. There is now a fundamental disagreement between him and the attending doctor over whether it was a C-section or a traditional delivery that she had agreed upon. The hospital has not provided further updates to the respective families of the deceased.
