Father begs for help after daughter left incapacitated

Munaf Yakub and Parbattie Persaud with their daughter, Farida Yakub

…says hospital staff responsible for child’s injuries

Munaf Yakub and Parbattie Persaud, the parents of eight-year-old Farida Yakub, also called “Afrida”, of Supenaam Creek, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are doing everything to give their daughter a chance to return to normalcy – even if it means to beg.
The father of the ill child explained that his daughter was a healthy girl, adding that she attended nursery school and while at her primary school, she became ill. He told Guyana Times that in January 2016, the child started crying out for abdominal pain and was taken to the Suddie Hospital where she was admitted and treated for gas.
On the third day in hospital, she started to bleed from her mouth and ears and was immediately transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where it was discovered that the drug used by medical staff at the Suddie Hospital caused her brain to swell. This has left her incapacitated.
Some months later, her father without giving up, visited the then Health Minister, Dr George Norton, who reportedly told him that an operation was necessary for his daughter to return to normalcy.
He further told the parents that the surgery will have to be done overseas and that the chances of her surviving are very slim. In addition, it would cost the family GY$10 million. The man said he informed the then Minister that it was the Suddie Hospital that was responsible for his daughter’s condition and that the Government should assist in offsetting some of the expenses.
Speaking with Guyana Times, the Munaf Yakub explained that he was arrested and charged for disorderly behaviour after he got emotional about his daughter’s condition at the medical facility. He said the Police took him to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where he pleaded guilty with explanation and informed the court of his plight. The Magistrate then dismissed the case against him.
He told this publication that the family’s only hope is for their daughter to get medical assistance.
However, the child’s story was told to Pandit Sugrim Singh of the Richmond Housing Scheme Vishnu Mandir and without hesitation, he immediately paid for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to be done. Now the parents are hoping to get the medical assistance in evaluating the extent of damage to her brain and ultimately improve her health. They are still calling for help from the Government as they maintain that the child’s injuries occurred at the hands of the medical staff at the Suddie Hospital. (Mohanlall Suelall)