A seven-week-old baby girl of Mahaicony Creek, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) has died from septic shock at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
The child, Varshanie Elizabeth Persaud, was born on April 25 at the Mahaicony Public Hospital and a few days later, her skin began to peel at an unusual rate.
This caused her mother, Lillawattie to take her back to the health institution for a checkup.
“All the time the baby skin been ah peel, and me carry she to Mahaicony Hospital. The doctor say nothing nah wrong.”
But the mother of four remained concerned and extremely vigilant of her little girl’s condition.
Shortly afterwards, the baby developed a fever, causing the worried mother to take her baby back to the Hospital.
“Everybody say is growing fever but me nah tek chance cause the baby been small. So we carry she back, and when me carry she back, they admit she.”
The infant was taken to the Georgetown Hospital where she was reportedly given multiple injections. The mother claimed that the baby was also given anesthesia.
“And then they start to give she injection, all part of she body them ah bore she, all in she head. And them never tell me them ah anesthetic the baby, them never tell me dah. Til the morning when me ah clean she skin, then one of the nurse tell me,” the mother explained.
This reportedly occurred at around 17:00hrs on June 12 and the baby died during the wee hours of June 13.
“Up to the Saturday (June 12) afternoon the baby been okay up to 3pm and when them anaesthetic she, she never recover back till she passed away.”
The grieving mother explained that she gave birth to a healthy baby and she is unclear how her little girl suddenly developed such severe complications that led to her demise.
She told this publication that the staff at the Georgetown Hospital were unable to provide much answers.
According to a death form given to the family, the child died from “septic shock due to sepsis and malnutrition”.
Mayo Clinic explains that “sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues. When the infection-fighting processes turn on the body, they cause organs to function poorly and abnormally.”
Because of the flooded condition of the Mahaicony Creek, the family had to bury baby Varshanie at the Good Hope cemetery on the East Coast of Demerara.
When asked whether the family reported the incident to the GPHC’s Complaints Department or any authority, Persaud expressed: “Right now in the condition we deh in here there is nothing we can do right now… Me nah go reach nobody so far because of my condition.”
When contacted on Friday, GPHC’s Communications Manager Chelauna Providence explained that she is not aware of the medical facts of the case, however, she undertook to find out the details. Additionally, the GPHC Communications Manager said she is willing to provide any assistance the family may need, including answers surrounding the death of young Varshanie.
Meanwhile the 38-year-old mother related to this publication that she was not at all impressed with the service offered at the Mahaicony Hospital.
The woman claimed that she would have bled to death had her husband not ‘created a scene’. She related that her afterbirth (placenta) was not being expelled and the health workers had her waiting on the hospital bed for hours before taking her to the Georgetown Hospital for more advanced treatment.
“This Mahaicony Hospital…when you go deh so, them nah got time with you. That baby born since 7 ‘o’ clock, they left me till 11 ‘o’ clock pon de bed fuh bleed out. Me husband had to start behave bad before they move meh … they really careless,” she posited.
“The afterbirth (placenta) nah been a come and them had to rush me down and when them rush me down (to GPHC) till one ah clock in the night the doctor them look after me.”
Calls to the Regional Health Officer of Region Five, Dr Desmond Nicholson went unanswered
Nevertheless, the woman says she has accepted the reality of the situation and is ready to move on with life. Her focus now is to take care of her family, and recover from the three-month-long flood that has devastated her home.
