RALPH BANWARIE
The family of 31-year-old pregnant mother Sheevana Sookram and her baby are hoping the Ministry of Health will not allow any cover-up in the investigation into their deaths at the Sangre Grande Regional Hospital.
They made the call yesterday after pointing fingers at the doctors and nurses at the institution, saying negligence may have led to the deaths of their loved ones on Tuesday night.
Sookram was initially carded to have her baby by C-Section at the hospital on Sunday (September 25) and left her Vega de Oropouche home in good spirits for the clinic on Tuesday.
However, her 32-year-old husband Damien Ramsingh’s joy at having a daughter alongside their two-year-old son, Adrian, turned to sorrow hours later when he got news that his wife and unborn child had died at the hospital.
A distraught husband told the Guardian yesterday that from reports they got negligence on the part of the doctors and nurses seemed to have led to the deaths. Ramsingh said when his wife left home on Tuesday all was well.
“I played with my wife’s belly and the baby was kicking. I was looking for a baby girl for my two-year-old son to play with but all my hopes and dreams have been shattered due to carelessness,” he cried.
Sookram’s mother, Jankie Sookram, said her daughter’s death was due to carelessness, neglect and the irresponsibility of those who attended to her. She reported seeing blood oozing from the nose of her granddaughter-to-be and a long red mark and the skin peel on the right leg.
Jankie said her daughter left home at 8 am to attend clinic but was only seen by doctors in the afternoon session.
“This was carelessness on the doctors’ part since they knew that she was to deliver her baby on Sunday and probably was having pain, which the nurses and doctors failed to attend to,” she added.
The distraught mother said her daughter left home in good health and the baby was moving.
“She had no signs of any illness and was very happy when she departed for her check-up at Sangre Grande Hospital Clinic,” she said.
Jankie said she received a call from a doctor hours later asking her to come to the hospital. She said when she arrived she saw her daughter rubbing her tummy and said she was told the baby had died. She was being prepared to be taken to the theatre for surgery. She said the nurses later called the family to the ward to see the baby.
“I spoke to the nurse asking her if all is right with my daughter. The nurse’s response was they trying with her,” Jankie said.
“I moved the blanket that was on the baby and observed on the right leg, a red mark with skin peeled, the baby was not blue or black but soft with blood on the nose.”
Three doctors later took the family into a room and one told them they were trying their best with Sookram since her lungs were filled with fluid, her pressure was fluctuating and her heartbeat was not normal.
The doctors then told the family they could not see Sheevana until she was stabilised and taken to the Intensive Care Unit. Around 8.30 pm they received the news that she had died.
Family members said they tried to get answers from the doctors but got none.
The family yesterday called on Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh to investigate the deaths properly, as they refuted a release the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) had been in contact with them to provide information and counselling. They said no one from the ERHA had either come to their home or contacted them via phone up to the time the Guardian was there.
Minister: Wait for autopsy
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said yesterday preliminary investigations had revealed Sookram’s baby was stillborn despite the best efforts of the doctors and nurses who had worked on her “for some time” prior to the delivery.
Speaking briefly on the matter as he attended a graduation ceremony at the Old Fire Station, Port-of-Spain, Deyalsingh said he was not in possession of any facts as preliminary investigations were underway. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the Sookram family on the deaths.
However, Deyalsingh cautioned people to wait for the autopsy results before making any pronouncements as to the cause of death.
In a release, ERHA corporate communications manager, Trudy Blackman-Moore, expressed condolences to the Sookram family over the deaths and assured a thorough investigation into the circumstances.
Blackman-Moore said the ERHA had been in constant contact with the Sookram family and along with an offer of counseling, the ERHA would continue to communicate with the family for as long as required. — (With reporting by Anna-Lisa Paul)