Latest update January 3rd, 2025 2:50 AM
Parents say seven-year-old child ‘murdered’ at GPHC
… child was admitted after fall
A Georgetown mother last evening charged that her seven-year-old boy was “murdered” by staff at the Georgetown Hospital after he was admitted to the institution with a back problem.
The mother’s allegation stemmed from the fact that after leaving him with an oxygen tube attached to his body the night before, she returned early yesterday morning to find the tube detached and the only explanation given by nurses was that they were “tidying up” and the tube probably slipped out.
Dead: Quincy Jr. Softleigh
Dead is Quincy Jr. Softleigh, of South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown. His mother, Natasha Softleigh, said that the child was admitted to the institution 13 days ago after he complained of back pains as a result of an injury he sustained while playing in the yard of his school, St Gabriel’s Primary.
Speaking at the Georgetown Public Hospital shortly after learning that her son had died, the mother said that when the boy was first admitted to the hospital an x-tray was done and officials told her that they found “nothing.” As a result, the boy was given medication to ease the pain.
It was subsequently discovered by his parents that the boy was unable to feel from his shoulders down to the rest of his body. An MRI was subsequently ordered and this was conducted.
Mrs Softleigh said that she was told that there was inflammation around the boy’s spinal cord in the area of his neck.
The mother said that she sought to find out whether the boy would need surgery to correct the problem, but she was told that he only required treatment to get rid of the inflammation and that surgery wasn’t needed.
On Thursday evening, Mrs Softleigh said that her son was doing fine, as she read stories to him from a book and he read back.
She said that an oxygen tube was attached to him, but when she returned yesterday morning, she saw the tube was not attached.
Softleigh said that when she spoke to the nurses they told her that they were “tidying up” up the boy and the tube must have come out.
“How they could be ‘tidying up’ and the tube slipped out? It had to be they handle him rough,” the mother lamented.
At this point, Softleigh said that she asked to talk with the doctor and she was told to wait outside. That wait turned out to be all day, as Softleigh kept insisting on seeing the doctor but was being given various excuses.
“Wah she want see doctor fah,” Softleigh said one of the nurses yelled to another.
She said she kept sitting outside and finally did see the doctor. When the mother told the doctor that she was waiting to see her, the doctor said that she was never told Softleigh wanted to see her.
She said the doctor told her that the boy was doing fine but that he needed to go to the theatre to insert the tube again. Softleigh said that she became livid as she wanted to know why she was there all day and wasn’t being told anything, moreso the fact that her son was being taken to the theatre.
It was about 15:30 hrs yesterday that the nurse called Softleigh in to break the news to her that her son had died of “complications.”
The mother said that she was told by the doctor that the tube was removed from the boy around 03:00 hrs yesterday.
The Hospital’s Public Relations Officer had already left for the day when this newspaper checked to get the Hospital’s comments on the allegations.
The family was told that a post mortem examination would be done on Monday.
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