…And investigation into baby’s death underway

At a press conference held this afternoon concerning the Influenza A (H1N1), Director of Health Services, Doctor Michael Pitts was urged to respond to the allegations of negligence that led to the death off the Reymundo’s child.

Dr. Michael Pitts, Director of Health Services
“That investigation commenced since Friday and they are looking at all the details. There are levels that you have to do this and they are conducting interviews, site visits etcetera to look at this. I’ll just say that for us in the Ministry of Health, any case of maternal infant death is taken seriously. In fact, those negative statistics—the negative statistics, on one hand, affect us in terms of commitments; our millennium development goals commitment. But in terms of the person effect for that family, we need to give them answers.”

Jose Sanchez
“She says people need to care.”

Dr. Michael Pitts
“Well, I understand that people need to care, that’s why we are in the business of health care so we have to care. An allegation was made. We will investigate it to ascertain facts and we will take the appropriate step at all levels; whether administrative, professional or etcetera. We have a complaint mechanism that directs us down a pathway as where we could go. There are different levels of things that we can do and with the allegation, it was done in a certain way and if gross negligence is proven then that means we have to go down a pathway through the professionals etcetera, etcetera for anybody who is involved. If there are no gross negligence but we see administrative, we need to address those. If it is a matter of protocols and standards and training where we need to pull boot straps up, we will do that.”

In the meantime, Jackie Wiloughby, operating in a private capacity, and not on behalf of the Public Service Union, heard of the plight of the young mother and is helping Cenaida with the arrangements to fly the body back to Punta Gorda.