Latest update March 29th, 2025 5:38 AM
Death of baby at Plaisance health center
…Father charged with threatening nurses
In a strange turn of events, the father of the five-month-old baby who died shortly after receiving an
Kevin Crtichlow, father of Kevon Crtichlow
injection at the Plaisance Health Centre was on Thursday charged for allegedly threatening the nurses he deemed responsible for his son’s death.
The charges come nearly a month after the baby, Kevon Critchlow, died and the family is yet to hear word on any investigation.
In an interview with this newspaper, Kevin Critchlow, the baby’s father, expressed surprise at the allegations made against him. He indicated his belief that the charges, which included using threatening language and threatening behaviour at two of the center’s nurses, were “staged allegations to cover up the mishap”.
The man and his wife, Suemede, expressed dissatisfaction with the slothfulness of the investigation into their son’s death.
According to the Critchlows, they are yet to receive the results of the blood samples taken a day after baby Kevon passed away. The results were scheduled to be returned two weeks after the test but officials have failed to do so.
Suemede also told this publication that she met with Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Shamdeo Persaud along with other officials a few weeks ago and was informed that a special body is being formed to ascertain how her son met his demise.
She further said that she was told the investigations would be completed within a month. However, yesterday the parents were contacted and told that the body had only just been formed.
“This is a clear indication that the case is being procrastinated,” the baby’s father said.
Things became worse when the man was visited by police officers last Wednesday and asked to accompany them to the Sparendaam Police station for questioning. There, he was placed on station bail and told to return the following week.
He also said that he was not made aware of what he was being charged with until the day of his court appearance.
Critchlow was represented by Attorney Dexter Todd and was placed on $10,000 bail for each of his charges. The charges read that Critchlow, while armed with a cutlass in one hand and his son’s coffin in the other, went into the Plaisance Health Centre and made threatening remarks towards the nurses. He was also accused of blurting out, “Blood will shed here today” before chopping a table and leaving the center.
The man, who suffers from hypertension, is maintaining his innocence and has opined that he is now being framed and victimized by members of the health sector in their attempt to cover up being culpable for the death of his baby boy.
Critchlow said, that instead of being able to smile again he and his wife were being broken down by the unfair treatment being meted out to them by members of the health sector. “This is unfair,” he added. Critchlow further said that his wife is “deeply distraught” over their son’s death. Nonetheless, he said, “she keeps smiling and tries to appear strong”.
When contacted yesterday, one of the nurses told this newspaper that she was unable to comment on the issue and all information could be attained from officials of the Health Ministry.
Leader of the Independent Party, Mark Benschop, said that he sympathizes with the family now that an extra hurt had been engraved.
He said that the father being charged showed just how one-sided the justice system was. He continued that “one can understand the frustration of the father.”
He emphasised that he was not confirming the allegation, but he explained that if they are indeed true then the father’s actions were understandable.
He further reiterated the prevalence of negligence by the health sector, which he believes is continuously being overlooked.
He also said that more needs to be done, other than protests, in order for justice to be achieved by those who fall victim to the negligence of the health system.
Critchlow died less than 24 hours after being injected by a nurse at the Plaisance Health Centre. Although the preliminary post mortem indicated that the child died of brain haemhorrage, the family maintains he was given a wrong injection.
However, the 5-month-old is not the first child to die under questionable circumstances.
Two weeks before Critchlow’s death, Akeela Benson died after she visited Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) with a fever. Four year -old Jaden Mars also died in December 2013 after he was rushed to the GPH with a cut tongue.
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