Nurse Goes before Nursing Council in Wake of Baby’s Death
A nurse at the Corozal Community Hospital has been taken before the Nursing Council in connection with the death of three month old Dion Woodeye, who died while waiting for treatment at the hospital. The incident happened on New Year’s Day when Woodeye started to experience diarrhea and vomiting. His parents took him to the hospital but claimed that he wasn’t treated with the emergency he required. As a result of the long wait, the baby died of dehydration a few hours later. Since then, there has been an ongoing internal investigation along with an independent reviewer. Today, we got an update from the C.E.O. in the Ministry of Health. Doctor Ramon Figueroa spoke candidly, admitting that some health providers don’t care. He says the nurse should have been placed on administrative leave, but for some reason she wasn’t and instead took personal leave from the job.
Ramon Figueroa
Dr. Ramon Figueroa, C.E.O., Ministry of Health
“One of the individuals is being taken to the Nursing Council. They presented the case before the Nursing Council for action.”
Andrea Polanco
“This going before the Nursing Council – does this leave the matter in their hands for them to determine what happens to that particular nurse? How does this work?”
Dr. Ramon Figueroa
“No because locally we can also take action. Just yesterday we were discussing with the region that we expected that individual to be put on administrative leave. Why it hasn’t happened, we are not sure. But up to yesterday we had contacted the region asking that that action be taken – that that person be put on administrative leave.”
Andrea Polanco
“So, right now the person is on leave, you’re saying?”
Dr. Ramon Figueroa
“Yes, the person is on leave. My understanding is that the individual took personal leave, it is not administrative leave. We should have already suspended or put that individual on administrative leave pending the result of the investigation and the results from the Council.”
Andrea Polanco
“The reason why that person didn’t go on administrative leave – is this a lapse in the process or procedure that should have been handled on the Ministry’s end?”
Dr. Ramon Figueroa
“That was a local decision that should have been made. I had expected that should have been done already. We asked for a justification of why that wasn’t done. I am still waiting for that response.”
