Attorneys for the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) will have to look into the matter of the deaths of Nekeisha Caine and her unborn baby at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital in 2010, its chairman Dr Andy Bhagwandass said yesterday. “The first time I became aware of this was today (yesterday) when I actually looked at the article in the Newsday. We will have to have our legal team look at it again and determine the way forward. I can’t make any more comments until I have more information about it,” he told reporters after the launch of the On The Job Training (OJT)– Medical programme at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope. Caine died at Port-of-Spain General Hospital on November 2, 2010, after she suffocated on her vomit. Her unborn son also died. In March 2011, Government accepted full responsibility for Caine’s death and that of her unborn son. Discussions on compensation for Caine’s family were expected to begin later that month to reach a suitable amicable solution. However, according to the family’s attorneys, the NWRHA is yet to admit or accept responsibility Caine’s mother, Rosemin Holder, on Monday filed a medical negligence lawsuit against the NWRHA. There have been recent cases of alleged negligence involving pregnant women and their unborn babies, both of which involved expectant mothers in Tobago. Leciana Mitchell-Sheppard and her baby boy died during childbirth on October 31 at Scarborough General Hospital. This has caused the woman’s grieving husband to call on President Anthony Carmona to establish a commission of inquiry into the functions and operations of the public healthcare system within the Tobago Regional Health Authority. Another case was the stillbirth of Kai Duncan’s baby girl, also at the Scarborough hospital. Then, there was the case of Quelly Ann Cottle who underwent Caesarian section Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, on March 1. Her baby, who she named Simeon, died after receiving a gash to the head while being delivered. Following an inquiry by retired Justice of Appeal Mustapha Ibrahim, former head of the Neonatal Unit at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, Dr Petronella Manning- Alleyne, and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Melanie Clare Davies, a report was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams and the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago. The report is still in the hands of all interested parties. Prof Samuel Ramsewak, Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, who attended yesterday’s OJT–Medical launch, said the board had the report, but since he was not directly involved, he could not comment on where they had reached on decision, if any. When contacted yesterday, Cottle said she was still awaiting justice for her dead baby. She added that she was advised by her attorney to get a psychiatric evaluation.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 15:51:56 +0000
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