Parents seek legal advice

Jun 10, 2011 News

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By Michael Jordan

The parents of 17-year-old maternal patient Joanne Peters are accusing staff at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) of causing her to bleed to death last March. They have contacted an attorney to ascertain whether they can take the persons allegedly responsible to court.
The teen from Craig, East Bank Demerara, died at the GPHC seven days after delivering a baby boy.
A medical report obtained by Kaieteur News revealed that although Peters was bleeding profusely after her delivery, a shortage of B-positive blood at the GPHC prevented her from having the transfusions she required.
But Ann Peters, the teen’s mother, is alleging that hospital staff had assured her that there was enough blood available for transfusions.
She also claimed that her husband and a son both have B-positive blood, and would have made themselves available had they known of the hospital’s predicament.
Mrs. Peters said that the couple contacted an attorney after Kaieteur News published an account of their daughter’s death and that of two other maternal patients.
The woman explained yesterday that she was initially unaware that her daughter was in hospital, since the teen was living with the father of her child. She received the news two days later, at around 21:30 hrs.
Mrs. Peters said she visited the GPHC the following day at around 06:30 hrs, where she “broke down in tears” on seeing her daughter in an apparently unconscious state in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“She was just lying there, not responding. Her hands were tied to the bed; she had a lot of machines around her, and an IV bag. I returned in the afternoon and she was in the same state. I ask the nurse and she say she (Joanne) in a critical condition and…they said she lost a lot of blood. I ask if she was getting blood and they said yes (but) I never see a blood bag hanging there. I see an IV bag.”
She said Joanne’s condition remained the same until she passed away on March 26.
“When I entered (ICU) I see my daughter’s bed screened around. All they tell me is that they have bad news; that my daughter died and that they did all that they could.”
But Mrs. Peters believes that her daughter could have been saved if the hospital staff had told the family the truth.
“The father and the brother have the same blood; there are other relatives who could have given blood.
“Why they make a life go down the drain? I am looking for justice. I am looking for answers to get closure. She was only 17.
“They (the hospital staff) gave me no answers. If they had, I would not be asking ‘why me, why my daughter’?”
She said that her daughter’s death certificate gave hemorrhage as the cause of death.
Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy had told Kaieteur News last Sunday that the GPHC has some 8,000 units of blood, which is below the 12,000 units that the hospital needs.
The report obtained by Kaieteur News stated that Joanne Peters had attended clinic at the Craig Health Centre from November 11, 2010, when she was 12 weeks pregnant. She underwent all the relevant laboratory tests, and the pregnancy progressed satisfactory with no complications.
According to the report, Peters, who had a history of lower abdominal pains, was admitted to the GPHC on March 16 at 18.30 hrs. She displayed no medical problems on admission, and all her vital signs were normal.
At 19:33 hrs, a medical intern, aided by a qualified midwife, delivered a live baby boy. At this point, the teen was observed to be bleeding, and an intravenous infusion was set up.
The report noted that Peters had lost 600 millilitres of blood, and that she was prepared for surgery in the Main Operating Theatre. It stated that there was “unavailability of adequate B positive blood for this patient with massive PPH (Post Partum Hemorrhage) at the national referral hospital.”
There were tears to the entrance of the uterus and sections of the vagina. These were repaired but there was “ongoing bleeding from the uterus… continued…a total of three litres,” the report said.
A decision was made to have the patient undergo surgery to have her uterus removed. It is estimated that the patient lost a total of four litres of blood.
Peters suffered massive post partum hemorrhage, and was transferred to the ICU, where she suffered from cardiac arrest.
The report stated that on March 19, Peters was diagnosed to have suffered Hypoxia Ischaemic brain injury.
“Despite all treatment,” the teen passed away at around 16:20 hrs.
The report described the case as “a complicated case of PPH (Post Partum Hemorrhage), who developed problems and despite all interventions did not recover.”
It was recommended that the case be reviewed by the Maternal Mortality Review committee.

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