Two senior nurses at the Women’s Hospital in Mount Hope are currently under investigation and are expected to face disciplinary action in connection with the body of a premature baby that went “missing” last Monday and is believed to have been given to a funeral home, unknown to the baby’s parents, for incineration.
This was disclosed to the T&T Guardian by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh. He said he has investigated the matter and found that the nurses “behaved in an abhorrent manner.” Deyalsingh added that he had asked the union, the T&T Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA) and Civil Service to have the incident with the nurses examined and disciplined.
However, a major question that surrounds this incident is “Who is going to take responsibility for this and accountability and who is going to face the consequences for their actions?”
This question was posed by a senior official at the Women’s Hospital in Mount Hope to the T&T Guardian. According to information received, the baby’s mother, who is 35 years old and lives in San Juan, gave birth to the premature baby last Monday morning, and was not allowed to see the baby, who was stillborn.
It is alleged that when the young mother enquired about her baby, she was allegedly told by a senior nurse that the baby was “somewhere around.” Speaking with the T&T Guardian, the mother, who was very distraught and breaking down in tears at intervals during the interview, described her experience as horrible.
The mother, who wished not to be identified, said she was five months pregnant when her water bag burst on Monday morning.
“I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. I was in excruciating pain and when I got there they had to remove a stitch and the manner in which it was removed was horrible. I then told the Nigerian doctor that the baby was coming but she did not take me on and kept writing up her report and kept asking me questions that I thought should have already been on my file. I am in all this pain and still it seems that she did not care,” the mother said.
“All I am asking is that doctors and nurses be a little more compassionate to mothers. It’s your job but we, mothers go through a lot and compassion and kindness do something for us when we are in this state,” she added.
“In the end, because of our Muslim faith, we believe in burial and not burning, and all I wanted was to do the right thing for my baby in having my baby’s last rites done in the way I believe in,” she said.
A senior official has confirmed the incident and added that specific instructions were given to the senior nurse and matron to have the baby refrigerated until the baby’s parents were met with. The official added that the directive was not adhered too. T&T Guardian understands that on Monday when the senior official asked for the baby’s body, the official was allegedly told that the baby’s body was nowhere to be found.
When contacted for comment, Director of the Chief of Staff at the Women’s Hospital Dr Karen Sohan confirmed the incident and added that cases such as this reflect a pitfall in T&T’s health and public systems.
“There is no accountability. Each person must appreciate that there are consequences for actions,” Sohan said.
“It appears that there are those who believe that their seniority or the office they hold give them certain privileges. At the end of the day, as healthcare providers we are here to ensure that our patients receive the best care,” Sohan said.
She admitted that one of the main complaints from the public is the lack of empathy among some of the healthcare providers and said that there must be zero tolerance for this.
Sohan said her main concern is the emotional well-being of the couple who have lost their baby. By extension she said, other couples. “We must not lose sight that whether a baby is a dot, a few centimetres or full-term, there is a deep emotional attachment. How we treat patients in such difficult circumstances aid in their healing process.”