Death of four-year-old at GPHC...Mother to form organisation to help other grieving families

Death of four-year-old at GPHC…Mother to form organisation to help other grieving families

Oct 25, 2014 News

The fight for justice for the untimely demise of four-year-old Jaden Mars at the Georgetown Public

A sombre-looking Nathalie Caseley displays photos that chronicle her son’s deterioration at the GPHC.

Hospital Corporation (GPHC) may soon evolve into a full-fledged movement aimed at advocating for health officials to be held accountable for their actions.
Mars was admitted a patient at the public hospital to have his tongued sutured but died under questionable circumstances several days later. December 10, 2014 will mark the first anniversary of his troubling death.
His mother, Nathalie Caseley, has been desperately trying to seek justice for her son. She has even retained a lawyer for an all-out court battle.
The woman has been receiving encouragement from many individuals and even more recently several others have been sharing their stories of loss at the very institution. Caseley, though still grieving for her son, said that she has been able to sustain her fight for justice because of the wide-reaching support she has been receiving.
According to the woman, she has been contemplating forming an organisation that will help sustain the fight for justice for persons who succumbed under avoidable circumstances at the public hospital.
“I will fight for health care…I don’t know how much support I will get but I do know that I can do this,” said Caseley, who is willing to accept support from the many other persons who have had experiences similar to hers.
“I have told some of these people that if they want to come on board then they need to write me a letter with their names, information and everything clearly…tell me their story, and show the (death certificate) with the cause of death and these information,” disclosed Caseley.
It is Caseley’s expectation that the proposed organisation will, in some small way, help persons deal with their grief.
Caseley said that moves were made by senior functionaries within the Ministry of Health for her to accept a position at the GPHC to help address such concerns.
She is however currently committed to her job at Qualfon Guyana whose managers have been very supportive throughout her entire ordeal. Since the death of her son last year the woman had been on no pay leave and only returned to work on October 13, two days before what should have been her dead son’s birthday.
Although she has been pursuing closure into the death of her son by seeking straight answers from health officials, Caseley was only last week able to meet with a contingent of senior Ministry of Health officials including Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran; Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud; Permanent Secretary within the Health Ministry, Mr Leslie Cadogan, and Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Mr Michael Khan.
The meeting, which occurred on what would have been Mars’s fifth birthday (October 15, 2014), was held in the Minister’s Brickdam, Georgetown, Head Office.
This publication understands that at the meeting not only was it acknowledged by the Minister that there are flaws at the public health facility (GPHC) but perhaps public disclosures would serve to ensure that other officials are more meticulous in delivering their service.
The Minister during the meeting was also vocal in pointing out that there were too many mistakes made during the child’s admission at the public hospital and stated clearly his conviction that the child should not have been dead.
Although the doctors who attended to the child are reportedly still on the job this publication was reliably informed that one attending nurse has been sent off.
The disciplinary action meted out would have been handed down by both the Medical and Nursing Councils.
Meanwhile, in order to emphasise her mission to continue the fight for justice for her son, Caseley plans to spearhead a vigil on the anniversary of her son’s death (December 10, 2014). She is therefore encouraging persons wishing to support the vigil to bring along their white jersey and $1,200 to fund the cost for imprinting the inscription “Justice for Jaden Mars” at Trophy Stall, Bourda Market.
It is expected that the vigil will be supported by Mothers in Black, Red Thread and other concerned individuals.