The death of two-year old Luke Marshall will soon be forgotten by everyone except his parents and family. In seven days time some bigger news story will bump it off the radar and we will all continue merrily living our lives until the next child dies. That next child could be yours.
Three-year-old Faith Williams visited the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) on August 31 for repair of an umbilical hernia. After the surgery, she mysteriously slipped into a coma. She was subsequently taken to the ICU and put on life support. Faith’s parents took her off life support on September 16. An autopsy showed that Williams died from primary hypoxic encephalopathy (lack of oxygen to the brain)—and secondary cause bronchopneumonia.
At the ICU they noticed her skin had become discoloured and an odour came from her body. They were told that only the life support machine kept her body functioning when in truth and fact she was decaying from within. The Williams’ said they got a run around for information.
The ministry subsequently suspended further paediatric surgeries and Health Minister announced that investigations would take place. At a media briefing on October 20 the health ministry announced it had received reports from surgeons, nurses, anaesthetic technicians, the ministry’s biomedical technicians.
In addition, a report was submitted by Dr John Mecklendurgh, a medical devices evaluator and senior lecturer from the University of Cardiff, Wales. The Minister said an independent panel would review the reports and changes would be implemented. The findings of the various investigations were never released to the media. A ward was supposed to be named in memory of Faith at the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital.
Promises, promises.
Fast forward to the death of baby Luke. A two-hour wait in the casualty department, a stunning misdiagnosis of a build-up of ear wax, sarcastic nurses laughing at the mother because she wasting their time by bringing in her baby because ‘he sleeping too much’ and no proper diagnostic tests. The mother’s complaints were totally ignored. She was desperately trying to explain that the child could no longer walk, had undergone a dramatic change in personality and could barely wake for more than an hour to watch his favourite ‘Dora the Explorer’.
An outraged Trini from the US sent me the following email:
“I am a neurologist in Florida. I have read about the death of the child recently at Mt Hope. The history given by the parents was strongly suggestive of a central nervous system disease process and not wax in the ears-pulling on the ears, change of behaviour (not being his normal self), not playful, excessive sleepiness, difficulty to walk and unsteady legs causing him to fall. The child needed admission and investigation. A CT scan of the brain and then a spinal tap would have definitely clinched the diagnosis so the child could be treated.
Some doctors and nurses must respect their limitations since they do not know how to diagnose and treat all the disease processes that exist. When in doubt they should investigate or ask for a specialist's opinion. Wax in the ears does not cause this type of clinical presentation.”
No one person is to be blamed for the death of baby Luke. A patient is supposed to be managed by a team of doctors comprising doctors and nurses with varying levels of seniority and expertise. There is an inherent check and balance in the system because it is constructed to take into account that human error is possible and that there exists the possibility of more than one diagnosis. This child’s death was caused by a complete break down in the systems and procedures at Mt Hope.
The investigation promised by the Ministry of Health should be conducted by external independent health care professionals from countries that have attained vision 2020 status. Baby Faith William’s death has proven that the Ministry and hospital investigating itself is a joke. It is left to die with time and everything is swept under the carpet just like the report from the Gladys Gaffor Commission of Enquiry. Its time to forget the jet and palace and think about our children.
But why bother, Manning seeks medical treatment in Cuba, not Mt Hope and his AG went to a private nursing home in St Clair when she fainted. Baby Luke had no choice but to go to Mt Hope. What about your child?
By Anand Ramlogan 2008-03-15