Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
A 30-year-old mother of two girls who dreamt of giving birth to a son was robbed of raising him after he died at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Port-of-Spain Maternity Department.
Rumani Williams died on April 6 at 9.24 pm. He was one of the seven infants who died between April 2 and 9 at the NICU.
His mother, Shaquille Harry, told the Sunday Guardian that she always wanted a son, and after giving birth via emergency C-section and losing him, it was devastating. Harry was given a boy’s name (Shaquille) by her grandmother, who desperately wanted a grandson. Like her grandmother, Harry yearned to raise a boy.
According to a pre-action protocol letter sent to the North West Regional Health Authority yesterday by attorneys from Freedom Law Chambers, led by Anand Ramlogan, SC, Harry detailed how, at just 31 weeks pregnant, she had to undergo emergency surgery to save the life of Rumani, who weighed just 1.3 kilogrammes.
The letter said she was told on March 20, a day after his birth, that Rumani needed to be warded at the NICU until he gained weight. On April 6, at 9.24 pm, he was declared dead. For the majority of the 18 days he was alive, Rumani was doing well and progressing, the letter said.
The letter added, “On Monday 1st April 2024, our client visited her baby and was elated to see him breathing on his own. She was advised by the doctor that in a few days, he would be moved to the step-down area as he was progressing well. They increased his feeds from 13 millilitres to 22 millilitres, and she was allowed to hold him. Our client breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that she would soon be able to take her baby home.”
A day after being told that she could take her child home, Harry was told that her son needed oxygen, was receiving antibiotics, and needed blood. During the final four days, Rumani became progressively worse.
The first indication the parents received that their child had an infection was on April 3, when officials at the hospital said they were unsure of the type of infection and were unable to determine the appropriate antibiotics.
“Our client was told that they would isolate baby Rumani to prevent the spread to other babies.” The letter said there was, however, another baby already in the isolation room in a highly infectious state.
“Our client was informed by a nurse that her baby had an infection and bacteria, but they were unsure which family the bacteria was from or what type of infection it was. They stated that they were testing his blood in phases to determine this information.”
The day their baby died, Harry and her partner, Kadeem Williams, were told that he contracted jaundice after noticing that he had a yellowish hue. The letter added that his platelets dropped to five. Hours later, they were informed that he had died.
Harry said she felt betrayed by officials at the hospital, who kept insisting that the only reason Rumani needed to be in the NICU was for him to gain weight.
She said, “They could have said there was an infection on the ward, and they could not have put babies there and cleaned and sanitised. What they are trying to do now, they should have done before.”
Harry said she never knew that there was an issue at the hospital, and only when she returned three days later to collect her son’s death certificate did she meet two other mothers whose infants also died.
“At first, I didn’t really pay much mind because I was going through a lot, and then I messaged Kadeem and said something was going on in this hospital, this not making no sense.”
Harry said the feeling of having her hopes snatched away was one she could not describe.
“To say I am coping is not a nice feeling because I always wanted a boy, and to get him and lose him, I don’t think I can explain how I’m feeling.”