As the lawsuits against the health sector expand beyond the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PoSGH NICU), a Tunapuna father is now suing the North Central Regional Health Authority after his son died days after he was discharged from the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital.
The death of baby Kaylon came two years after the infant’s mother lost another child who was allegedly beaten to death. Attorneys said the death compounded the mother’s grief, who was still recovering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In a pre-action protocol letter issued by Freedom Chambers yesterday, attorneys claimed baby Kaylon Phillip died because of negligence. The newborn, half of a twin, was born on March 7 and died on April 12, eight days after he was sent home.
According to the letter, Kaylon was being treated at the Neonatal ICU at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital due to the detection of a trace of bacteria.
After a blood transfusion on April 3, baby Kaylon was discharged, which his parents claimed they found curious.
“When they arrived at the NICU, our client and her husband kept questioning the nurses if they were sure that the baby was fit for discharge. The nurses kept saying “who is de medical professionals here … you or we?? STEUPPSSSSS … We sure! We sure!”. Our client touched her baby’s skin and it felt warm. When she queried this, she was told by the nurses that this is “growing fever”, and she could purchase baby Panadol and administer the same via a dropper.”
Guardian Media spoke with Kaylon’s father, Yohann Denny, who said the family just wants justice, not just for them but for other families.
“They tell me it was a bacteria in his blood, so I was asking if that was in he blood, why yuh rush to send him home. That’s the whole thing inno, why yuh send him home so quickly?”
Denny said her baby sons, Kylon and Kaylon, were considered a high-risk pregnancy and needed to be delivered via Caesarian section. The father added that with assurances by the doctors that his son was going to be well after he was discharged, he is questioning if the medical officials failed in their duties.
Guardian Media also questioned attorney Sumayyah Mohammed of Freedom Law Chambers on the lawsuit which was promoted following the deaths of seven babies at the PoSGH NICU between April 4 and 9.
Mohammed said after they represented their first client, others stepped forward with similar horror stories. She said each case is investigated to ensure it meets the criteria of medical negligence before pursuing it.