Parents say they will insist on court action following deaths of newborns
Stephen Panton
So what’s next for the parents who lost children to the bacteria at the neonatal intensive care unit? The ones we spoke to are planning to pursue legal action, especially after the press conference on May thirtieth. They feel that if they back down the powers that be at the K.H.M.H. and in government will try to push the deaths under the rug. And that, they say, cannot be allowed to happen.
Stephen Panton, Newborn Died May 5th
“We were being patient and giving K.H.M.H. a time for them to reconcile this matter, giving them a time to admit, giving them a time to get back with us and deal with it in a way that we do not have to persecute or put any propaganda or put any negative on the hospital because at the end of the day, we want this thing to work out in the best manner it can. But we are realizing that there is not much being done; nothing is really being done. So now we noh wah wait no more to do weh we need to do. We are going to seek any legal help that we need to seek and we will push it as far as we can. And it will not be something that will blow over. Because this is what they want it to be; something that will blow over and it will not blow over.”
Marisa Cruz, Newborn Died April 1st
Marisa Cruz
“I thought we would get more answers and not something what they said; that they were going to give us the bill. For me, they are putting a price tag on my child for five hundred and eleven dollars, which my child is worth more than that and they will never be able to pay that amount of money.”
Stephen Panton
“We just have to realize as Belizeans that we cannot let people run over us. We have to stand up and we have to show them that we are the people who hold the power; who elect them. We have to show them where the power lies now because they don’t think that we have the power anymore.”
Marisa Cruz
“After watching that press conference really my feelings, I can’t even explain the way I feel right now. I pass anger right now. I really like that Miss Garnett, Chandra, and everybody think about losing their child. How would they feel if their child is killed and they are not doing anything for them? How would they feel? How would the Prime Minister feel if his wife died?”
Giovanni Brackett, President, COLA
“We’re appealing to some attorney to come on board, bring these families together and offer your services that these families could apply for a class action if possible. They need legal advice and we are calling out there that some attorney who has a heart; who is not concerned about money, to come forward and to assist these families in getting compensated. Not to say that you can pay for the loss of these children, but the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital should be held responsible.”
News Five has been reliably informed that activist, Yolanda Schakron, will be meeting with the parents to offer assistance, including access to legal channels. COLA’s firebrand president Giovanni Brackett says that the organization will be staging demonstration in front of the K.H.M.H. this Thursday morning, and he is inviting all Belizeans to join in.
About time they cannot pay you what your child is worth but its a first step sue them then you need to arrest the pm and all involved for the murder of your child they all need to be arrested from judas barrow down all involved need to be arrested you need to sue barrow and his gov. They don’t care about your loss look ocer 2000 people dead and still nothing has been done.
Keep the pressure on – hold them accountable for their irresponsibility to the Belizean public and to those babies who did not have a chance for life.
We are waiting to see how many so-called “Human Rights” advocate lawyers will hear this calling.
Where are all the hypocrites defending the UNIBAM human rights? A leguas se les nota que son hechos de carton.
In my mind, these young babies who were denied an opportunity to life and were defenseless were violated their human rights!
Nothing will change and more lives will be lost if KHMH and the negligent doctors don’t have to PAY for the devastation they caused.
It’s all about the money, so they need to be hurt in the wallet. Good luck to the parents, money will never lessen your grief and loss, but it’s the only thing you can control to send your message that what they did was NOT OK.
There should also be a criminal investigation — negligence that results in death is still manslaughter, isn’t it?
If the doctors had malpractice insurance (as is a requirement for doctors in most countries of the world) then claims could be made and compensation paid, but you are not going to find any doctors paying out of their own pockets, when they don’t, then it will be us, the taxpayer who will have to pay any compensation