The Canefield family who lost two children days apart last month protested outside the New Amsterdam Public Hospital last week calling for answers from the authorities over pathology tests.
Kumar Mohabeer, 33, of Canefield, East Canje Berbice, father of the children, Vishnu Mohabeer, also known as ‘Ricardo’, 10, and Arianna Mohabeer, 9, who died suddenly last month, had told this newspaper that despite their efforts to contact officials within the regional health authority they had not received any official word as to the cause of death of Arianna and the ongoing investigation.
As such last Wednesday, the family held a protest outside of the New Amsterdam Hospital demanding justice and seeking answers.
On the protest line, the children’s mother, Rehana Persaud said that she holds the hospital responsible for her daughter’s death. “I need justice for her and I need answers.”
She said, “Before I used to call Dr. (Vishalya) Sharma (Regional Health Officer) phone and they stop calling me, me ain’t getting no response.”
“Arianna wouldn’t just go just so easy, nothing wouldn’t sweep under the carpet for Arianna. Five weeks now we waiting for the post mortem and we not having any results”, the mother lamented.
Persaud added, that “Hospital never take them blame for anything, if them give people wrong things and treatment wrong, them never take any blame but I know from starting to ending, I had my sister and my cousin was there night and day with my daughter so them could have seen what take place with Arianna, after Arianna get that injection it go straight up in she blood stream and we don’t know wah it do to her inside and she start to react, she eye start to turn up, me daughter fall and my sister grab her and the nurse tell her to give her something sweet to eat or drink and she give and then them carry she ICU and them continue giving her antibiotic as them claim to say.”
Additionally, she explained that she was present when the medical professional attempted to place a catheter into the child and she was screaming in the ward.
“I tell them don’t do it that it a pain she but them still force and put it inside of she and how them put it she was bleeding heavy and at the last when my daughter inside there she tell me she want puri and chicken curry when me go back them say she can’t eat and we was waiting outside and them come out and them tell we Arianna going down low”, the mother related.
At that stage, the mother said she became scared then about twenty minutes later she was informed that her daughter had passed away. “Them was trying to take her to Georgetown hospital when them done mess her up here (it) end up she pass away right here.”
Regional Chairman, David Armogan when contacted yesterday stated that the results from the pathology tests are not back as yet. He said, that once the results are back then the country’s Chief Medical Officer will visit and meet with the family to provide the results.
Armogan noted, that after the protest he along with the Dr. Sharma and Dr. Bob Ramnauth, who is in-charge of the New Amsterdam Public Hospital met with the family where the same was explained.
The children’s father had told Stabroek News that he had left for work and his son was lying on the bed. “The last word he tell me that he okay and before I reach Rose Hall I get the call that he take in and when I come before them reach hospital he pass away.”
A post-mortem examination carried out on Vishnu revealed that he died from splenomegaly (an enlarged spleen).
Following the death, the father said the boy’s sister developed a fever and she kept asking for her brother. As such they decided to take her to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital. “She get scared and after she get lil fever we take her and them admit her and take her to the ward and the child was good. Monday morning the child come out and swing on a rocker, them have a rocker in the hospital back and the child come out and a play and then when them give she the injection the child never recovered back.”
According to the father, after being administered the injection which they were eventually told was an antibiotic, “…the child get weak, like the child start stunted there.”
He said they were initially told that Arianna had dengue fever and malaria, however after she passed away “them telling we something else that the child get some sick in she lungs that water go touch she heart.”
The father had also relayed that a post-mortem examination was carried out however the results were not immediately given to him. Additionally, he said that he was told that samples were taken from her body for testing.
