Two public hospitals record maternal deaths

- AFC calls for detailed investigation into death

A 25-year-old Hampton Court, Essequibo Coast woman has been added to the statistics of maternal deaths

Dead: Bavanie Rampersaud

recorded by the Ministry of Health for 2014.  The woman, Bavanie Rampersaud, who was a Clerk attached to the Region Two Department of Education, was pronounced dead shortly after the reportedly complicated delivery of her stillborn baby on Tuesday (December 30).
But the woman’s family members are adamant that the death was a direct result of the incompetence of the medical practitioners who attended to her at the hospital.
Meena Prashad, the dead woman’s mother, said that her daughter, who was just over six months pregnant, was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital on Monday after she developed a high fever and a trembling spell. She explained that at the hospital doctors administered two injections to her daughter before discharging her.
Persistent abdominal pains would however force the woman’s family to take her back to the institution. While at the hospital, doctors proceeded to perform an ultra sound examination which determined that Rampersaud’s baby had died. Labour was therefore induced. The now dead woman’s mother is alleging that attempts to enable the woman to pass the placenta (afterbirth) resulted in further complications.
The saddened Prashad recounted that her daughter was crying loudly after a female doctor attempted to take out the placenta. “She was crying out for pain and she was bleeding profusely,” recounted the woman. The woman said that the loud wails of her daughter forced family members to inquire about her condition. The forthcoming response was that Rampersaud had a “50/50 chance” of survival.”
“The girl is very critical; there isn’t much hope,” Prashad said that doctors told her family.
Reports suggest that it was after a near four-hour long surgical procedure to remove the placenta that Rampersaud was pronounced dead. But while accusing fingers are being pointed at the doctors who attended to the woman, a senior medical practitioner is insisting otherwise.
The health officials said that Rampersaud’s unborn child had died a few days prior to her death and that doctors had tried to do everything possible to save the young mother but she continued to bleed profusely. She subsequently died.
Among the family members Rampersaud has left to mourn are two young sons. Her remains are slated to be buried on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Women’s arm of the Alliance for Change – Women For Change (WFC) – in a statement issued yesterday said that it is calling for an urgent and detailed investigation into the death of the 25 year old woman and her unborn child.
The statement said that WFC was informed that Persaud visited the hospital on December 29 after experiencing abdominal pains and running a high fever.
According to Rampersaud’s family, Persaud was seen by a young female doctor who prescribed an injection which was duly administered. She was then sent home but her symptoms worsened.  She reportedly informed her family that the injection may have killed her unborn child as the baby had stopped moving.
At around 04:00 hours on December 30th Persaud’s husband took her back to Suddie Hospital where it was confirmed that the baby had died. At around 07:00 hours the baby was delivered stillborn and the doctor on duty failed to remove the placenta.
From her death bed, Persaud told her family she was dying even as her family encouraged her to hang on while they attempted to get the doctor to do something to save her life.
The family reported that from the time of delivery Persaud started haemorrhaging but it was not until 14:00 hours that she was returned to the operating theatre by which time it was too late to save her. WFC said that it was informed that even a senior doctor at the Suddie Hospital questioned the delay in operating on Persaud. There are also reports that the woman’s family members made donations of blood after they were told that the hospital did not have blood.
The AFC has repeatedly highlighted the inadequacies within the public health system and in particular, the conditions at the Suddie Hospital insisting that “too many young women die during child birth under questionable care.”
In light of the recent unfortunate situation, AFC has extended deepest sympathy to the husband and other family members left to mourn the loss of Rampersaud.
And as if the death of Rampersaud was not a big enough blow to the health sector, another death was recorded at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) also on Tuesday.
According to a statement issued by the GPHC, the woman delivered her baby on Christmas Day and was discharged the following day.  She however became ill and was taken to the Diamond Hospital from where she was referred to the GPHC.
This publication has since been able to ascertain that the dead woman is 19-year-old, Marina Persaud, a resident of 1107 Section ‘C’ Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
She, according to the hospital statement, succumbed hours after admission to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Hospital.
The GPHC in extending condolences to the family of the deceased woman informed that a post mortem examination is to be conducted.
However, reports from a medical professional close to the operation of the hospital said that from all indications the woman’s demise resulted from septicemia. This state of affairs, it was revealed, could have developed as a result of a swab being left inside of her or failure on the part of the attending medical personnel to thoroughly remove the placenta.