GPHC launches investigation into nurse's death

GPHC launches investigation into nurse’s death

Oct 26, 2010 News

A preliminary report on the death of Nurse Charlene Amsterdam is expected to be available on Thursday, according to release from the Georgetown Public Hospital yesterday afternoon.
Amsterdam, 40, of Q 79 Samon Street, Tucville, and of Amelia’s Ward, Linden, died some time around 03:15 hours at the GPHC, two days after undergoing a caesarian section.

Dead: Charlene Amsterdam

The release further stated that an internal investigation has been launched into the woman’s death as is the usual standard.
Meanwhile relatives of the woman yesterday told Kaieteur News that no one has told them anything about the investigation.
They are still awaiting any official word from the Health Ministry. Unconfirmed reports state that the nurse had an ovarian cyst. A source said that during the Caesarian section to deliver the baby, the doctor nicked one of the blood supplies to the cyst (either arterial or venal) and sparked excessive bleeding.
The source added that some time later, when the nurses noted the bleeding they called the doctor who was hesitant to take the woman back into the theatre for corrective surgery.
A number of nurses who worked with Amsterdam expressed their heartfelt condolences to the woman’s family.
One said that she hopes that a through investigation would be carried out and if the doctors are at fault they must be brought to justice.
The woman’s reputed husband, Eon Giddings, had told this publication that his wife was admitted to the institution on Wednesday last.
He said that she was taken to the theatre after doctors informed her that a normal delivery was not possible. The surgery was performed on Friday morning. Relatives said that Ms. Amsterdam was suffering from fibroids, a condition in which non-cancerous tumors form in the uterus.
According to relatives, the doctors treating her were aware of her condition, and Ms. Amsterdam was attending clinic at the GPHC for her ailment. With that being said relatives were adamant that the woman’s condition was not life threatening.
Hours after the surgery relatives said that Amsterdam began experiencing complications and had to be taken back to the operating theater.
Giddings said that his wife was taken back into the recovery room for Caesarian mothers and was crying out for abdominal and back pains.
As the pains intensified, she was transferred to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Saturday morning.
Amsterdam was again taken back to the operating theater where she spent approximately three hours.
Shortly after, hospital officials told relatives that she was dead.
Amsterdam up until the time of her death was attached to the Georgetown Hospital. She was a nurse for the past 14 years.
A post mortem examination is expected to b conducted today.
Only last week, two other women died at the Skeldon Hospital shortly after giving birth.
Twenty-one-year old Yogeeta Bishram died hours after delivering a healthy baby girl.
Esther Dwarka-Bowlin, the Acting Headmistress of Princetown Nursery, died after giving birth to her third child. The woman was taken to the hospital around 8:30 on Friday evening after she began experiencing labour pains.
When relatives arrived for the 06:00am visit she was discovered dead. Investigations have been launched into the two deaths.