Govt to improve local capacity to perform autopsies – Pres Ali

…says necessary equipment to be procured, capacity will be built

The death of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge has highlighted the gaps in several systems which the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government is now seeking to correct, and one of them is the local capacity to conduct in-depth postmortem examinations.
One of the planned reforms is for Guyana’s technical capacity to perform post mortem examinations to be revamped, with President Dr. Irfaan Ali revealing that the necessary equipment will be procured.
Three internationally recognized forensic pathologists were brought in to do Monday’s post mortem examination on 11-year-old Adrianna Younge, whose tragic death at the now gutted Double Day Hotel last week rocked the country.
Following the examination, which found that Younge died by drowning, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has announced that the Government will be taking steps to boost Guyana’s technological capacity to perform autopsies.
Other announcements included bringing in international help to review the operations of the Guyana Police Force and improve its communication strategy. While the decision to revamp Guyana’s capacity to conduct autopsies was made in the context of the Younge tragedy, it would also align with the Government’s other investments in health services.
“I’ve spoken to the Minister of Health. And looking at the way the three pathologists operated, the type of investigation, the depth of investigation, I told him we must buy the full infrastructure that was required, so that we will have that capability. Because that capability can help us to bring a greater degree of justice under circumstances,” the President said.
He also acknowledged that there has been a lot of learning during this entire process surrounding the case of Adrianna Younge, even as he recognized the fact that even as a Head of State, there are opportunities for him to gain new perspectives, unlearn, and relearn where necessary.
“There has been a lot of learning throughout this process, and as your President, I can humbly say before you that I have learnt. Because my job is one that is dictated by my ability to continuously learn, unlearn and relearn. Because all of us must build in our own selves and capacity that ability,” the Head of State further said.
Dr Glenn A Rudner of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul of Barbados, and Dr Gary L Collins, Chief Medical Examiner of Delaware, were the international pathologists brought in to perform Younge’s autopsy.
Attorney Darren Wade, representing the Younge family, has subsequently confirmed the pathologists’ findings: that Adriana died from drowning. No signs of sexual assault were found, and the marks on her body were consistent with water damage, not violence or abuse.
The family’s lawyer had also stated that the autopsy could not determine where the drowning occurred, nor was it possible to establish the exact time of death, because of the decomposition of the body. The PME was witnessed by the child’s family, their lawyer, and medical officials, ensuring full transparency.
The circumstances surrounding Adrianna’s death, whose body was discovered in the pool of the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) last week, continue to be the subject of intense investigation. Her family had initially raised concerns about bruises on her body, which prompted the Government to honour their request for an independent and comprehensive autopsy.