Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Michael Khan, on Thursday disclosed that the final report on the incident involving the baby who cracked his skull on the hospital floor will soon be delivered to him.
Khan said the investigation is still ongoing but he has been promised that it would be completed soon.
Nyesha Hamilton delivered her baby in the corridor of the Maternity Ward of the hospital over a month ago. The young mother claimed that she had informed the hospital staff that she was going into labour but was told that there was no wheelchair to carry her to the labour room. So, Hamilton, accompanied by a midwife, started to walk to the room when she moved into the final stage of labour.
Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Michael KhanNyesha Hamilton and her baby
She related that at that point, the baby fell out of her underwear and onto the ground. Moreover, she said the nurses on the ward were too frightened to pick up the newborn and asked her to do it instead.
Hamilton said medical personnel working that night did nothing to ensure that the baby was unhurt.
“They pretended that it was a normal delivery and send me to the maternity ward but the next day, his head started to swell and then they decided to carry him for a CAT scan,” she lamented.
The young mother stated that it was then she found out that her baby’s skull was fractured and that there was external bleeding above the skull.
However, the specialist who examined the baby said he would not have any long-term effects from the fall and that he would heal as he grew. Subsequently, the baby started to vomit and was removed from the maternity unit to the Paediatric Unit for 13 days. He is scheduled for a visit with a neurosurgeon regularly; his next visit being October 3.
The young mother stated that she would be seeking legal advice to ensure that all medical expenses are paid for by the hospital.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud, stated that the trained personnel should have been prepared before the woman reaches the third stage of delivery.
On November 3, 2015, the Georgetown Public Hospital was placed under a spotlight after a newborn fell off a cot and fractured his skull. It was just an hour after he was born. The infant’s parents sued the hospital for $20 million for the error. The Minister had reportedly stated that the newborn baby rolled off the cot. That matter is still pending.
When questioned as to why the hospital is always in the “bad light” for maternal mortality or infant mortality and injures during labour, Persaud stated that it is a “human resource problem”.
He stated that they have been working with the Obstetric Unit, especially with the specialists to reassess the protocol to ensure that they are up-to-date with the challenges of delivery.
