News Five Investigate Infant Mortality In Belize
The infant mortality rate in Belize decreased by almost fifty percent in the last two decades, according to the Pan American Health Organization. But, in the face of this encouraging statistic, there are hospital horror stories that many families are still trying to come to terms with. In 2018, Leah and Deon Woodeye lost their eleven-week-old son at the Corozal Community Hospital. The couple is still seeking answers. In July 2023, baby Aaron Allen died at the K.H.M.H. His lifeless body was handed over to the wrong family at the hospital’s morgue. It was cremated. Today, his mother Nahomy Guerrero still has more questions than answers. News Five’s Paul Lopez investigates.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
On the sixth of July 2023, a thirty-five week pregnant Nahomy Guerrero visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after noticing blood in her urine. She wanted to ensure her unborn child was healthy.
Nahomy Guerrero
Nahomy Guerrero, Mother of Deceased Baby
“So I see myself to the hospital the morning, but before I went to the hospital I remember waking up to go and take a shower and my first morning urine was pink. I said, hmph something really the happen so I have to go check.”
And, this is where her hospital horror story began. She arrived at the hospital’s emergency room at approximately seven a.m. on July sixth. She says that she saw a nurse a half hour later.
Nahomy Guerrero
“She said why didn’t you come from yesterday? I told her miss I didn’t want to make it a big deal because it wasn’t a big dash up blood but this morning when I see my urine pink and from last night I decided I would come here to check. She said you the bleed right now? I said no mam, and she said you should have come when you mih the bleed, because if you are not bleeding right now, it is not an emergency anymore.”
In Corozal Town on December thirty-first 2018, Leah Woodeye, and her husband Deon Woodeye experienced their own hospital horror. At midnight their eleven-week old son, Deon Woodeye Junior came down with a severe case of diarrhea. A few hours later they rushed him to the Corozal Community Hospital.
Leah Woodeye
Leah Woodeye, Mother of Deceased Baby
“We reach emergency like six-thirty, we walk in, I walk in, me and my husband with the baby and the nurse weh mih deh behind the desk she had a phone in her hand, her foot up and the fool with her hair. I told her morning nurse, I bring my son because he has vomiting and diarrhea. She said, you have to go over to the clinic because no doctor is here to attend to you.”
Leah says they waited for over two hours with their sick child to be attended to. His condition grew worse by the hour. They were called into triage after nine a.m. She was yet to see a doctor.
Deon Woodeye Junior
Leah Woodeye
“When the nurse saw the baby ih seh, how long this baby deh like this. I tell ah from like twelve o’clock. I tell ah, I mih done ker ah dah emergency and deh send me yah. Ih she hmp, that sounds funny. They should have taken care of the baby over there. What dah the reason why? I told her nurse, I don’t know.”
In Belize City, Guerrero sought to get an ultrasound after nurses determined that her situation was not an emergency. She wanted to ensure that her unborn child was still alive and in good health. Guerrero says, the hospital demanded that she pay for the ultrasound upfront before undergoing the procedure. She was yet to see a doctor.
Nahomy Guerrero
“They did the ultrasound till around twelve thirty-seven, twelve-forty, from morning that I was there. They didn’t even rush me to take the ultrasound to see what was happening. When the security man come and take me to do the ultrasound, I saw blood stains all over the bed sheet. The nurse said yes ok, I will change the sheet. I did the ultrasound around that time and they came and gave me the results around three, three-thirty in the evening.”
The hospital informed Guerrero that she was experiencing a placental abruption. Without prompt medical treatment, a severe case can have dire consequences on for the mother and her unborn child. Doctor Fernando Cuellar gave us some insight into this diagnosis.
Fernando Cuellar
Dr. Fernando Cuellar, Internist & Intensivist
“What that means is that the placenta either totally or partially peel away from the lining of the uterus. That can lead to fetal death, the baby can die because that is how the baby get its nourishment and blood, from the placenta which can also lead to maternal death, the mother can die from bleeding out. So that is considered and emergency.”
Over at the Corozal Community Hospital, Woodeye finally gets to see a doctor to attend to her eleven-week-old ill son.
Leah Woodeye
“Meanwhile I the sit down deh, one of the nurses said, you sure you came six, because if come six they would have attended you. I tell ah, yes I come six. A next one come and said, I don’t think that is true, you must have come and gone straight over there. I told them no, I didn’t go there.”
Deon Woodeye Junior
Deon Woodeye Junior was now in a critical condition and being prepared for transportation to the Northern Regional Hospital in Orange Walk Town. Woodeye asserts that there was a delay in transporting her child to Orange Walk because the driver refused to leave the hospital without first receiving fifty dollars as compensation.
Leah Woodeye
“The third time she called him back and said you know what, if anything happens to this baby we will be in problems. Cho he reach must twenty-five minutes after the call.”
But, it was too late. Just after ten a.m., baby Deon passed away inside the Corozal Community Hospital. Doctors certified his cause of death as Hydromineral Imbalance Acute Diarrheal Disease.
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
“That is considered a relative emergency because doctors can either try to rehydrate or replenish the fluids and electrolytes, either orally if permitted. Sometimes it comes with diarrhea and vomiting. So to put up an IV, I would think it is not a super emergency but within a reasonable time they should hook up an IV and rehydrate that person properly.”
Over in Belize City, Guerrero was informed that her unborn child appears to be in good health. She was also told that she would undergo a caesarean section and that the baby’s heart rate would be constantly monitored. But, that c-section was not performed until the following morning.
Nahomy Guerrero
“And around eight-thirty, eight forty I went over to have my c-section.”
Paul Lopez
This is almost two days now, spots of blood, bleeding.
Nahomy Guerrero
“Three days, the Wednesday the slight blood, the Thursday morning and the Friday morning, the OB emergency room when I showed them the bed was stained with blood and they didn’t even bother about it.”
Baby Aaron
Baby Aaron survived the c-section procedure and was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for further care. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at ten-forty p.m. on the eight of July. The causes of death listed on the death certificate are catastrophic intra-ventricular hemorrhage, septic shock, low birth weight and prematurity.
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
“It’s a type of stroke, it’s a hemorrhage type of stroke that instead of just bleeding into the brains it bleeds into the ventricles which is like a little reservoir of fluid that is involved with the whole brain system and when we have it there that is just a worst prognosis, because it is not just in the brain it is in the ventricles.”
Nahomy Guerrero
“So, I went over again to say my last goodbyes to my baby before they sent him over to the morgue and I took pictures of him. I remember asking when I can see him at the morgue and they told me I can’t see him until I get a death certificate.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
