The Public Services Association (PSA) will be defending the three doctors who were involved in performing the caesarean section on Rose Gordon, 35, of Charlotteville, who died on New Year’s Day after delivering her baby girl the day before.
This is according to president of the PSA, Watson Duke, who was speaking at a news conference held at the Scarborough General Hospital yesterday.
Duke said he shared the grief of the family, but the association would be taking up the cause of the three doctors who were sent home on Thursday pending an investigation into the incident. Here in Tobago, all of us are one family. I cannot overrate how this is affecting all of Tobago, even would-be mothers now are somewhat concerned, but it comes down to what was the case in question that they were dealing with, and let the enquiry take place, let it be free from political interference, and let the chips fall as it may, but we will defend the doctors,” he said.
Duke said the doctors were not free from blame, but said the average citizen did not have all the information concerning the incident. He said the suspension of the trio would tarnish their reputation
“This is not a case where we are not hurt. I’m hurt as the president of the PSA but the question is could anything have been done at that point in time? Could anything have been done to protect that individual? What was the risk going into that surgery? We have to ask these questions…The person was already pregnant, was there a case of either mother or child? We don’t know...”
Duke identified former independent senator Dr Victor Wheeler as one out of the three doctors suspended. He said Dr Wheeler, who is a gynaecological consultant and heads the department, was being targeted by the Tobago House of Assembly for some time now.