Family Claims Woman’s Death Could Have Been Prevented, Blames BERT
Kenya Barona
A Belize City family is making a serious charge, saying their loved one would be alive today had an ambulance responded in time to a distress call instead of asking about a service fee. News Five’s Duane Moody reports on the incident in Belize City on Friday night.
Duane Moody, Reporting
As the family and friends of thirty-four-year-old Kenya Barona continue to mourn her death, they are also up in arms because they believe there was negligence on the part of the Belize Emergency Response Team, BERT. On Friday night, Barona was at home on Supal Street when she collapsed, reportedly because her pressure skyrocketed.
Voice of: Ervin Fitzgibbon, Common-law of Deceased
“I rush home, when I reach inside, my gial deh deh. So we pick up ahn and I tell ahn that ih need fi go dah hospital. So the young lady weh deh deh, I explain to she that ih need fi call di ambulance. But my common-law the explain to me that she noh want go dah hospital. So just want go pan ih bed go lay down and relax. So miss lady done the call them already; I hear she di talk to them already on the phone di tell them about the emergency weh di happen yah.”
As anyone would in a situation like this, they called 911 for help. But what happened next? A close friend, Farrah Smith took to social media saying they waited and waited but no one came.
Farrah Smith
Farrah Smith, Friend of Deceased
“I called 911 tonight. I got through to them and I tell them there is a situation on Supal Street and we need help. The person from 911 said “Miss, we’re gonna send BERT right now.” I heng up the [bleep] phone. I hang up the phone and goen do weh I supposed to do. We were waiting. We’re [bleep] waiting for someone to help us. I call back 911. I say, “Mister, this dah the young lady weh call yo about the situation on Supal Street. Yo done send a [bleep] ambulance fi we?” The man say yes miss, make sure I got wah number weh 911 could reach yo when dehn deh close. We deh deh try fi help Kenya; di help Kenya. Now everybody di bawl weh di ambulance deh? weh di ambulance deh? No [bleep] ambulance. Deh had to come wah Supal Street checkpoint come and soh three police officers come. And while we di wait there, we di try bring ahn back with some alcohol. And I di talk to Kenya and di say Kenya stay awake, stay awake. I tek the alcohol and I wet up ih head, wet up ih face.”
By the time Barona was rushed to the K.H.M.H. via police mobile, within minutes she was declared dead. The family alleges she lost her life over a twenty dollar fee.
Farrah Smith
“I get a call while I deh front ah Kenya and when the call come, the person say “Miss, this dah BERT.” So I say, “Yes sir.” I say, “Unu done reach?” Ih say, “No ma’am, I need fi out some questions before I reach.” I say, “How the [bleep] unu need fi find out some questions?” Ih say “I need fi find out weh wrong with ahn and whatever.” I say, “Mister the young lady is obese and ih have lotta problems weh wrong with ahn. Unu need fi come now!” And ih say, “I hope yo know that there is a caution fee fu unu have to pay that you should know – twenty dollars.” I say, “twenty dollars?” So I say, “Wait, unu noh reach yet?” Ih say, “No.” Ih say, “Unu have to know that unu have to pay unu twenty dollars before we come.” What the [bleep] is wrong with the people dehn ina this place yah? So dah emergency I call fah and ih wah talk bout after I heng up then he say, he wah come now. So BERT di wait fi dehn [bleep] twenty dollars fi reach [bleep] deh fi come? You know what; that twenty dollars cost my friend ih [bleep} life.”
Voice of: Ervin Fitzgibbon
“Bally dehn di take long fi come from BERT so I say hear weh di happen. Make I try ker ahn or call the mobile, the man dehn weh deh outside. Then dehn bally call the mobile and the mobile come and I tell dehn bally help me put my woman in. And by dehn time deh, dah like half an hour to forty-five minutes now because now by the time the mobile come, we reach deh, I still neva see no movements with dehn or nothing.”
Duane Moody
“She was already dead when dehn ker ahn dah the hospital?”
Voice of: Ervin Fitzgibbon
“Yup because when time we reach dehn, all weh dehn do dah take ahn out of the police pan, put ahn pan di bed dehn, walk in with ahn and when I look, they come out back and tell me, “Oh ih noh got no pulse.” Done. Dehn noh gone try fight with my woman fi say save ahn still.”
On Saturday, Belize Emergency Response Team, BERT, issued a release on its emergency hotline and medical standard operating procedures, which includes additional screening due to COVID-19. However, the organization says, “BERT responds to all emergency calls despite a patient’s ability to afford the service. This does not impede the dispatch of ambulances. It is not and has never been a policy to deny a service to a patient due to affordability.” Duane Moody for News Five.
