Woman delivers baby on hospital floor…Ret’d nurse slams CEO’s response, calls on dismissal of negligent nurses

Oct 07, 2019 News

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Yvonne Sam, a retired Charge Nurse (Obstetrics), has slammed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brigadier George Lewis, of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), after the birth of a newborn on a hospital floor.
Sam made it clear that the issue displayed “gross negligence on the part of the personnel,” and that it should be of grave concern to the population, but above all to the General Nurses’ Council.
The Brigadier said that the incident would be investigated with the focus on putting systems in place to ensure there is no such reoccurrence. But the retired Charge Nurse reveals that the move on his slate is “a gesture far too late.”
“The further mention by the Brigadier was that should any hospital staff be found guilty of negligence, his department will enforce the full brunt of the law that surrounds discipline in an incident of that nature.
“Regrettably, such a remark is open to humour and ridicule, and in some way highlights his lack of knowledge of previous unfortunate events in the Obstetrics Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital,” Sam explained.
Sam, who is also a nursing examiner, referred to similar incidents that occurred that the GHPC a few years ago.
On November 3, 2015, baby Azim Balgobin, fell from his cot just one hour after his birth. The parents in a $20 million lawsuit sued GPHC for negligence as a result of the acts and/or omissions of servants and/or agents of the Defendant.
The lawsuit, states that GPHC failed to adequately and properly monitor the Plaintiff after birth; failed to take any adequate and proper precaution for safety of the Plaintiff and exposed the plaintiff to injuries, which could have otherwise been avoided by reasonable care.
A conducted CT scan revealed that the baby suffered multiple injuries as a result of the fall. The baby underwent surgery as a consequence.
On or around 10.00 p.m. August 23, 2016, Nyesha Hamilton arrived at the Georgetown Hospital in labour. A vaginal examination conducted on arrival by the doctor, confirmed labour and a cervical dilatation of five centimeters.
Shortly after, the patient started bleeding, and upon informing the nurses, was told that the two doctors who examined her previously said she had not “reached 10 cm yet.”
They told her she would have to wait another four hours before it was time to have the baby.
“I strongly question the source or the transmitter of such obstetrical information, as there no scientific hard and fast rule for how long the latent and active phases last in women,” Sam said.
Sam goes on to state that the rate of cervical dilatation is dependent on the parity, regardless if it is the first baby or not. Mothers who have delivered a baby before tend to move more quickly through labour, and some women will simply progress more quickly than others.
Additionally, others may “stall” at a certain stage, and then dilate very quickly.
Following the bleeding, Nyesha told the staff, “I feel meh water bag burst. The baby went coming down and I call for the nurses.”
However, she was told that there were no wheelchairs available and as such would have to walk to the labour room. “Two steps away from the door to the labour room, I feel like I couldn’t walk anymore so I stoop down, and I feel the baby fall on the ground and knock he head on the right hand side,” the mother said.
The mother recalled that on seeing the baby on the floor, she was told to pick her baby up, as the nurses refused to do so.
The mother further stated that after the incident, the nurses proceeded to act as if nothing had happened, and did not give the baby a check-up. It was only after the baby’s head started swelling the next day, that it was discovered that he had suffered a fractured skull.
Hamilton was later informed that the fracture will take up to six weeks to heal.
The entire incident was investigated by Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud. Legal action was also taken against the hospital.
The retired nurse sincerely hoped that GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Retired Brigadier George Lewis, is aware of these occurrences.
“No system, just dedicated knowledgeable personnel. It is blatantly apparent through their behaviours and actions that some midwives no longer possess a caring attitude as an element of their professional practice.
They have ignored ethics by offending mothers’ sense of dignity. Support in labour has an impact on the childbirth experience as well as on childbirth outcomes,” she explained.
Sam states that women give great importance to the relationship with their midwife as cornerstone of their childbearing event.
“After the fall, comes the call — for the investigating party/parties to deal condignly with the obstetrical miscreant thereby restoring dignity to the profession. The message is clear. All mothers should deliver in the absence of fear, thereby making birth an occasion of mirth,” Sam said.

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