Three weeks later…Relatives of dead children still await word on probe

Feb 04, 2019 News

Relatives of the three children who succumbed while being treated for cancer are still awaiting word from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, (GPHC) about the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Six year- old, Sherezer Mendonca, three year -old Roshnie Seegobin and six year- old Corwin Edwards, all meet their demise at GPHC last month. Their deaths were reportedly related to complications as a result of treatment administered for leukemia at GPHC.
The hospital had launched an investigation some three weeks ago but to date, relatives of the victims have not received any word from the administration of GPHC.

Roshnie Seegobin

Sherezer Mendonca

An official told Kaieteur News and stated that a report will be released when an ongoing investigation is completed.
Hospital staffers who treated the children are said to be ‘devastated’ by the incident. Information indicates that the children’s conditions worsened rapidly after they were administered with an injection.
About a week ago, the board of the GPHC sent out a statement expressing condolences to the families of three children. GPHC‘s Board Chair, Ms. Kesaundra Alves met with the mother and relatives of Mendonca and expressed her sympathies.
The hospital in a statement had also noted that it is seeking to provide support for the healthcare professionals involved in this matter, “who themselves are experiencing a considerable amount of trauma and anxiety.
The statement assured that none of these professionals in question acted with intent to harm the patients.
Kaieteur News was told that the hospital’s investigations have already concluded that an intravenous medication, Vincristine, was administered to the spine, instead of the vein.
Vincristine is marketed under the brand name Oncovin, with strict instructions to refrain from administration to the spinal cord.
Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence had said that the Ministry is working to ensure that there is a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.
“We will work assiduously to ensure that this matter is dealt with in a very open and transparent way and that we bring it to conclusion at the earlier possible time. What I do ask, however, is to allow due process to take its course,” Minister Lawrence said.
Minister Lawrence told the media that the Ministry has requested the assistance of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). According to Lawrence, PAHO’s intervention also allows the investigation to be independent.
“There would be persons outside of the system who will be part of the process so that they can lend to the transparency, they can lend to the process and they can be able to provide the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation with any technical assistance which they may not have,” she added.
“And this is to ensure that we have an all rounded approach to what transpired with these patients. We believe that having a report from the drugs administered will be able to give clarity in that aspect of the services provided while we look at the human aspect from the hospital point of view,” Lawrence said.
Additionally she said, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud has put together a team that will be looking at the drugs administered during the tenure of the patients at the hospital.

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