Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said a lack of proper health care was not a factor in the death of a woman, who died 19 days after giving birth, at the San Fernando General Hospital.
His comments related to the death of Leela Mahase on Sunday.
Hospital authorities said the woman died from a medical condition not associated with poor hospital care but did not elaborate.
Deyalsingh said he could not divulge the cause of Mahase’s death but noted that he was awaiting the results of an investigation being done by the Southwest Regional Health Authority.
“Her death was not due to patient factors. In other words, it was not due to any factors that pertained to the hospital care. It was not a lack of care or proper policy that led to her death,” Deyalsingh said.
Mahase was admitted to the hospital with an acute medical emergency on November 19. She died within hours.
Meanwhile, director of Women’s Health at the Ministry of Health Dr Adesh Sirjusingh said Mahase faced several medical complications.
Sirjusingh said the Ministry is awaiting a preliminary report into the death which occurred on Sunday.
“A preliminary report will be submitted to the Ministry of Health. Support is being offered to the family by SWRHA. At this time there were several medical complications associated with the patient herself. The full result of the post-mortem will not be immediately available,” Sirjusingh stated when contacted via Whatsapp.
Chief Executive Officer of the SWRHA Gail Miller-Meade said because the woman’s death fell within the period of monitoring maternal patients after pregnancy, their adverse events protocol would have kicked in, warranting an investigation.
She said the results of the autopsy will be given to Mahase’s family. Doctors remained tight-lipped about the death yesterday.
A senior doctor, who requested anonymity, said while he had no details of Mahase’s death, certain procedures must be followed once a baby is delivered.
“If it is a normal delivery, you have to monitor the bleeding and make sure that the uterus has well contracted. Within 24 hours you have to look out for fever and get the patient’s pulse. Her blood pressure has to be monitored every two hours,” the doctor said.
Once the blood pressure is abnormal and the patient develops fever, complications can arise.