Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Mom photographed breastfeeding newborn under bed at GPHC
– probe launched
The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has launched an investigation following the publication of an image, showing a mother breastfeeding her newborn under a bed at the facility’s Maternity Unit.
The mother breastfeeding her newborn under a bed at GPHC. (Photo credit: Citizensreportgy)
The image appeared in some sections of the media yesterday and prompted the hospital to immediately launch a probe. A source from the medical institution said that both mother and baby have been discharged.
The source said that the situation occurred some time back, but could not say when.
While it is unclear why the mother was photographed lying under a bed with her baby, the hospital is known to have a “bed situation” where four persons at times are forced to be on one bed—- two mothers and their newborns. However, the situation never reached the point where mothers were forced to sleep under beds, the hospital said.
Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, could not be reached for a comment.
Meanwhile, as a result of overcrowding at the ward, the government, in the 2016 National Budget, set aside $89M for the development of the facility’s maternity unit.
A new wing attached to the current structure will be completed this month. Apart from the extension, the unit will benefit from table-top foetal heart rate monitors, hand-held foetal heart monitors and portable ultrasound machines.
The facility will feature 50 beds and a 17-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), an Operating Theatre and birthing rooms that are soundproof.
“The beds will not be so cramped. Sharing a bed will be something in the past,” Norton had emphasised.
This newspaper was told that since the opening of the maternity unit in 1988, adequate spacing has always been a challenge.
A medical worker in the maternity ward admitted that there is sometimes a bed shortage at the facility but that this is not often the case.
“We have different seasons. Sometimes we have a lot of pregnant mothers. Then there are times when we don’t have that many, and beds are free then. So no matter how many more beds we get, the situation will still be the same,” the source opined.
The hospital delivers approximately 400 babies monthly from February to May, and in 300s in June and July. The number climbs back up to the 400s in August. This continues to fluctuate for the rest of the year. The total amounts to 60 percent of the babies born in Guyana.
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