8 months later… Report on probe into deaths of Berbice mother, newborn son still to be released

– Councillor presses RCD for answers as report remains under wraps

Eight months after the deaths of Latoya Griffith and her newborn son at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital, a report on the findings of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths is yet to be made public.
The matter has once again surfaced at the Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on Thursday when APNU+AFC Councillor Mehalai McAlmont renewed her calls for answers, arguing that despite assurances the investigation was nearing completion, neither the council nor the public has been informed of its findings or whether any action was taken.
In a written submission to the council, McAlmont recalled that Griffith’s death in November 2025 had previously been discussed by the RDC, during which members were informed that the doctor involved had been removed from the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital.

Despite repeatedly seeking clarification on where the doctor had been reassigned, no information was provided, and according to McAlmont, her own enquiries later revealed that the doctor had been transferred to the No. 75 Regional Hospital.
The Councillor further alleged that on April 21 of this year, the same doctor became the subject of another incident after reportedly being captured on video verbally abusing nurses and midwives who had questioned her handling of a patient’s delivery.
“Thankfully, the midwives and other professionals intervened, or we might have had another maternal incident,” McAlmont stated in her submission.
She asked whether a thorough investigation had been conducted into that incident and requested that the Regional Health Officer (RHO) provide the council with a report.
Responding to the concerns, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Ronald Harsawack said he had not received any formal complaint related to the matter since assuming office on May 18.
“I assumed office here on the 18th of May. From then to now, I have not seen a complaint on the issue, nor were any previous complaints sent to me. In order for us to start an investigation, we need to trigger a complaint.”
However, he acknowledged that the allegations raised before the council warranted attention.

“In this case, because there are some allegations here, we can also start the investigation. I can ask the Regional Health Officer to provide a statement on it before we get into any investigation. But officially, before now, nothing was sent to my desk on the matter,” he said.
“I did ask in November or December what had happened to that doctor. I remember asking repeatedly. I did my own research and realised where she was, and then I understood what the issues were because there’s video evidence,” McAlmont maintained.
The Councillor said she had deliberately refrained from releasing the alleged video publicly. “If we wanted to play politics, these are things I could release to the media, and I chose not to because I believe people’s lives and livelihoods should not be played with in politics.”
As such, she urged the regional administration to ensure the allegations are thoroughly investigated.
“I believe that this doctor needs to be disciplined, addressed, and investigated in order for something not to reoccur. We had a death before. We nearly had one except for the intervention… something needs to be looked into and done about this particular thing,” McAlmont stated.
Harsawack subsequently committed to requesting a report from the RHO before determining what further action, if any, should be taken.
The issue stemmed from the deaths of 32-year-old Latoya Griffith of Gibraltar Village and her newborn son at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital in November 2025. Griffith died on November 20, while her baby died the following day.
The deaths prompted allegations of negligence from relatives, who called for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
At the time, Griffith’s mother, Virginia Jones, said her daughter had attended a routine clinic before being admitted to the maternity ward. She recalled that Griffith later complained that her “water bag” had burst before relatives were informed that the situation had become a “50/50” case.
The matter was subsequently raised at the Regional Democratic Council, where Regional Health Officer Dr Vineshri Khirodhar said the investigation was in its advanced stages and awaiting review by Chief Medical Officer Dr Narine Singh.
She explained that maternal and neonatal deaths are subject to strict national review protocols, with the hospital first conducting an internal investigation before its findings are examined by the Chief Medical Officer.
Dr Khirodhar had assured Councillors that once the investigation was completed, all relevant parties seeking answers would receive them.
Despite assurances that the investigation was nearing completion, no public statement has since been issued on its findings, recommendations, or whether any action was taken.