Relatives of Jennifer Gill, the 41-year-old Amelia’s Ward, Linden woman who died at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) after delivering her baby on March 19, held a picketing exercise on Friday outside the hospital, claiming she had been treated “poorly” at the medical institution.
Gill’s sister, Janice Singh, said the family intends to take legal action against the hospital.
Jennifer Gill’s relatives picketing the Linden Hospital Complex
Family and friends of the deceased, who held placards bearing various slogans claimed that they were kept in the dark regarding the woman’s condition prior to and after her death, and are alleging that the hospital was negligent.
Initial reports had indicated that Gill had required a caesarean (C-Section) owing to her age and size of the baby. However, the hospital has refuted this assertion, saying she was eligible for a normal delivery, which it facilitated.
“We think she was treated unfairly, poorly; and we believe that the hospital and doctors were negligent. We’re hoping to get justice. We’re hoping that somebody come out and say something. Somebody should accept the responsibility. Everything happened and still nobody ain’t come and talk to we, nobody whosoever. And if nothing happen from this, then we intend to take legal action. And we plan to go as far as possible, because we can’t just let my sister’s life just go down the drain like that. It’s just not fair! It won’t happen!” Singh lamented.
Singh’s husband also claimed that Public Health officials failed to meet with the family.
Another sister of Gill, Audrey Challenger, also blamed the medical institution for trying to cover up the matter.
“We know that she was treated unjustly inside there. We know that they didn’t give her the attention that she should have gotten at the time, and based on what we learned during this whole process, is that the hospital is not equipped to deal with that kind of case. Those people just trying to cover. They did not explain anything to us. They did not sit with the family and say, ‘Okay, this is what happened,’ or anything…I think somebody should at least take accountability for that,” she said.
The Linden Hospital Complex had launched an investigation into the matter, and an official report was sent to the Chief Medical Officer and the Director of Regional Health Services. The medical institution’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Farouk Riyasat, had noted that based on his medical knowledge and facts of the report, he believed that Gill died after suffering a blood disorder referred to as Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), which causes rapid blood loss and thinning, eventually leading to shock and kidney failure. The CEO made the revelation which he stated was his belief during a media brief which was also attended by the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Romesa McDonald, and Public Relations Officer Toshanna Alicock.
The hospital’s PRO had noted that according to facts from the report, on first assessment by the doctor on duty, Gill was in active labour when she arrived at the hospital, being dilated at 6 centimetres (cm), and did not require a C- section. The hospital CEO also refuted claims by the family that a C- section was not performed since there was no doctor available, as he claimed that the hospital provides for doctors to be on call 24/7. Officials have also claimed that the family had been kept up to date on the deceased woman’s condition, and that she was given the best possible care. The family has since denied all of these claims.
