Parents seek answers after 11-day-old baby dies at NA Hospital

An 11-day-old baby boy died at the New Amsterdam Hospital on Thursday evening, leaving his parents seeking answers about the circumstances surrounding his death and the medical treatment he received.

The child’s mother, 32-year-old Bibi Anasheh Samed, of Rosignol Village, West Bank Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), and his father, 53-year-old fisherman Delon Thomas, said they remain concerned about the treatment provided to their son, including a change in his antibiotic medication and what they described as inadequate explanations about his medical condition.

Samed, who has four other children, said she gave birth to her son on October 18 and initially believed he was healthy.

She said that the following day, medical personnel informed her that the newborn had an infection and required antibiotic treatment.

According to Samed, the baby remained with her at the hospital while receiving treatment. She said that after subsequent blood tests, doctors recommended changing his medication.

Concerned about the treatment, she said she questioned a doctor about whether the medication was suitable for a newborn and requested permission to have her son discharged so that she could seek treatment at a private medical institution.

She claimed that her request for the child to be discharged was refused and that treatment continued.

The baby’s condition deteriorated on Tuesday and she recalled that her son was not crying as she expected and that she attempted to get a response from him.

Samed said she subsequently noticed that his hands and feet were turning blue.

Samed alleged that she immediately alerted a nurse and requested medical attention, but said approximately 20 minutes elapsed before a doctor examined the child.

The newborn was subsequently taken for an X-ray and blood tests before being transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
According to Samed, she was informed that the X-ray had not revealed any serious problems with the baby’s lungs.

Meanwhile, Thomas said his concerns intensified when he arrived at the hospital on Tuesday and learnt that his son had been transferred to intensive care.

The fisherman said subsequently approached medical staff seeking an explanation about the infection and the medication. According to Thomas, the doctors told him that the baby had been born with an infection.

According to the mother, she returned around 17:00h to see the child in the NICU but was not immediately allowed to see him because medical personnel were attending to him.

She claimed that she waited for more than an hour before being informed that the child had died.

The mother said she received the news sometime after 18:00h.

Both parents, who spoke with the media on Thursday evening, called for the circumstances surrounding the child’s death to be examined.
The hospital personnel did not respond to requests from this publication for comment up to press time.