Parents speak about death of infant
And while the Ministry of Health says that their preliminary investigations show there is no malpractice, the Medical Council has recommended that the attending doctor, a Nicaraguan national, should be placed on administrative leave. Doctor Mendez has gone further to ask for her removal from the Northern Regional.
Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez, Area Representative
“The mother lives in my constituency and I feel it that I was not able to prevent it. It is happening too frequently that it needs to come to a stop now.”
Duane Moody
What needs to be done and some people may say it needs to happen almost immediately; but something needs to be done?”
Marco Tulio Mendez
Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez
“From what I understand; from what I have been told, the Belize Medical Council which is the legal body of health recommended that they put the persons, the gyne/obstetrician on administrative leave and replace—bring somebody from Karl Heusner—and replace the doctor. It is so easy that would create a very appropriate measure on preventing this because they know where the problem is; but it feels that they don’t want to accept it.”
Luis Burgos
Luis Burgos, Father of Deceased Baby
“Ultimately, somebody has to be responsible. I’m not pointing fingers, but somebody there has to take responsibility or the person that is in charge because who authorizes these decisions; who says this needs to be done. I think that we need to take legal action against the responsible people and we eventually want to see something get done. You have to voice your opinion to be heard. I wouldn’t want this to happen to anybody else. You always say it can’t happen to me, but it can happen to you, trust me. They told her it’s a normal process; you have to stick it out—this is a normal stage of labor pains. They thought that she was nervous; that she was dehydrated. If you can’t depend on the medical authorities, I don’t know what else to do.”
The Burgos family, like others, says they will seek legal action.
With all respect, Dr. Mendez, it needed to come to a stop long before this baby became the 16th recent victim in that one hospital.
That would be better late than never, but the inaction for months by the Minister of Health leaves this baby’s blood on his hands in a moral sense.
Let’s all see how many more babies are killed there and how many months or years we wait for the Minister of Health to act decisively to protect the unborn. I fear he not only lacks the requisite knowledge, but also a conscience.
A very sad, unfortunate and irreversible situation. The parents needs to sue and not even that is enough to settle this!!
i think the Minster of Health and the CEO Allen should be considered baby killers, thaey have the authority to stop this slaughtering of mother and children and they have decided to turn a blind eye. Marin’s concern in the house was who wrote the letter, and Peter Allen’s position was that these deaths were normal and expected outcomes. both baby killers.
Dont call him Minister of Health..Wireman..that is what he is..Wireman..People of the north we need to demonstrate against this once and for all we all pay taxes and deserve better care for our mothers and babies…
I propose a modest little law that the PM, his family, and the Minister of Health can only receive medical treatment from a Belizean government hospital. That would change the standard of care overnight. But they are nobility, aristocrats of the world, so the concerns of petty Belizeans are far, far beneath them.
They disgust me, to preside over butchery of babies and never lift a finger.
Let’s see, when GOB employees kill Guat trespassers, we must pay compassionate compensation.
How about when GOB employees kill Belizean babies?
Every time someone is killed in one of these hospitals in Belize , the ministry is quick to say no malpractice was found. Of course the ministry’ s preliminary investigation will conclude no malpractice , they have their colleague’s back. Shame to have this happen. The ministry needs a change in administration and the healthcare laws needs to be change to protect patients and their rights . It cannot keep protecting the doctors and nurses killing babies and the poor people.