MoH probing toddler’s death at West Demerara Hospital

– family blames negligence of health authorities

The Health Ministry has launched a thorough investigation following the death of 19-month-old Kayden Munroe on Thursday at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH).
On Saturday, the Ministry in a statement related that a multi-disciplinary team was investigating the fatality.
According to the Ministry’s records, 48 hours before the baby’s death, he had visited several health institutions, including the Den Amstel Health Centre, the Leonora District Hospital, a private pharmacy, a private doctor’s office and then the WDRH.
As part of the multi-disciplinary team’s investigation, a post-mortem will be conducted on Monday.
“Already, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Narine Singh has initiated a thorough investigation of this child’s death, starting with compiling reports from all the medical providers that were involved. This part of the investigation will be completed by the end of the day on Saturday,” the Ministry shared.
The CMO has also initiated a process to complete in-person interviews with the officers this weekend. In addition, the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Department is conducting its own investigation, since the child was also seen at a health centre. Both the CMO’s office and the MCH will also interview members of the family.

“The MoH assures the family that a fair, independent and multi-disciplinary investigation will be conducted and a report will be submitted to the Minister shortly. Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony and the Ministry of Health express our profound condolences to the family of the child and assure the family and the public that a full investigation will be conducted,” the statement added.
Devi Munroe, the child’s grandmother told another section of the media that the child took the Yellow Fever and MMR vaccines at the Den Amstel Health Centre, West Coast Demerara (WCD) on Tuesday, March 5.
After he got the shots, she related, they went home and soon after, he developed a fever. The next day, the fever worsened and the child was taken to the Leonora Diagnostic Centre where the health officials there gave him Panadol syrup and sent him home.
Munroe further related that after her grandson’s condition worsened, they took him to a pharmacy and clinic at Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) where the doctor diagnosed that he was suffering from “tapered breathing” and instructed that he be taken to the West Demerara Hospital.
Without hesitation, she rushed him to the WDRH and the child was immediately taken to the emergency room where the doctor “sounded him” and related that “nothing is wrong with him and that he is breathing fine”.
The woman was then ordered to sit and wait her turn as the nurse was compiling the baby’s chart. She told the media that she waited for almost an hour by which time she related that her grandson was getting cold and “turning blue”.
“I told them this baby is turning blue and I keep begging them to help me see a doctor, but they keep telling me I have to wait my turn. “I said ‘doctor, please, I need you to look after my baby, he is not breathing properly, the baby is panting for breath’,” a distraught Munroe told Newsroom.
The child was finally put on oxygen and after some 10 minutes, he was taken for an X-ray, but he died soon after.
“After the X-ray, he was not breathing. They started doing CPR and hooking him up to the machine, but by then, my baby was gone,” the grieving grandmother related.
The grandmother is alleging gross negligence on the part of the doctors and nurses who reportedly did not take her complaints seriously and took a lengthy time before they examined the child.
Last October, a five-year-old child died hours after she was transferred from the WDRH to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
At that time, recognising several shortcomings at the West Demerara Hospital, it was announced that changes were being made to address the concerns. Several practices that affect quality at the hospital were also discontinued.
One of the challenges facing the overall health sector has been the institutionalisation of patient-friendly services. While significant improvement has been achieved, the sector continues to be challenged by inappropriate behaviour by a small number of staff members, the Ministry had said.