By Leroy Smith
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Denis Ramjit, father of now dead maternity patient – Evita Singh – said that on Wednesday he had cause to tell doctors of the Georgetown Public Hospital, to their face, that they were lying about the circumstances surrounding the death of his daughter.
The man said that he had to “shut up” the doctors who told relatives that all the reports in the media on the death of his daughter were false and that doctors did not insert six Cytotec into the 34 – year -old woman.
According to Ramjit, the doctors proceeded to convince the family that they sliced one Cytotec pill into eight pieces and administered it to the woman at different intervals.
He said that the doctors who met with the family could not give any clear explanation surrounding the death of the woman.
Singh had gone to the hospital to be treated for the Chikungunya Virus and was not ready to deliver. The six Cytotec tablets were reportedly given to the woman to induce labour. Since the incident several Health Professionals have said that the tablets should never be administered to women who are pregnant, since it can cause birth defects, premature births and uterine ruptures. The pill is also used for abortion.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran told reporters at a press conference that the matter is being investigated both internally and will also feature external sources investigating the incident.
“No one should die while giving life,” the Minister told media operatives yesterday as he addressed several concerns surrounding this latest maternal death.
He said that he was alarmed that one of the operating theatres at the facility was not working at the time the incident occurred and that is indeed cause for concern.
A post mortem examination, conducted by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, gave the cause of death as hypovolemic shock.
Hypovolemic shock, also called haemorrhagic shock, is a life-threatening condition that results when you lose more than 20 percent (one-fifth) of your body’s blood or fluid supply. This severe fluid loss makes it impossible for the heart to pump sufficient blood to your body. Hypovolemic shock can cause many of your organs to fail.
The post mortem also revealed that severe anemia contributed to Singh’s death. Anemia is usually defined as a decrease in the amount of red blood cells (RBCs) or the amount of hemoglobin in the blood.
