THE controversy surrounding the recent death of a teenager at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) has prompted Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran to launch an investigation.

Sonda Johnson and Zalifa Debedin with their new born babies after successful (CS) deliveries at the West Demerara Regional Hospital earlier this week

Within hours after the tragic occurrence, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud and a team were dispatched to the institution and an initial report was filed in six hours.
After ordering a post-mortem, less than 48 hours following the incident, the minister told a press conference he had ordered a fuller probe into the WDRH itself, rather than restricting it to the circumstances surrounding the demise of 15-year-old Shemar Miggins.
The inquiry will now include the functioning of the entire Health Sector in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) and the Guyana Chronicle learnt that, on Tuesday, another group of ministry’s officials visited the WDRH and other health care facilities in the region.

Regime change
This newspaper understands that, over the past three months, the region’s principal hospital and some health centres have been under the microscope since the minister was displeased with their operations and it led to a regime change, resulting in the posting of Dr. V. Bridjmohan to head the WDRH.
The purpose is to strengthen capacity for the oversight of Leonora Cottage Hospital and other key clinics, such as the Parika Health Centre.
Other decisions taken after a review process saw the redeployment of doctors already in the region to new postings and the transfer of some from other regions to bolster ministry’s efforts in Region Three, from the beginning of this month.
Among the assignments are those of Dr. Maya Layne and Dr. Abdula Amin to the WDRH.
Ramsaran, at the press conference to address the death of the teen, had praised the medical and nursing staff at the WDRH for their continued vigilance and preparedness in providing care to other critical patients under their watch, even as the stressful incident unfolded.
The minister reported that, at the time, two women were being monitored in the Maternity Ward after having undergone Caesarian Section (CS) operations later in the evening and both mothers and their newborns are in fine spirits and soon to be discharged.
Maternity patients Zalifa Debedin, a community health worker at Fort Island, also in Region Three is a 33-year-old Amerindian who was admitted to the WDRH with a breech and went into prolonged first stage labour.
Her admission was on January 11 at 14:30 hrs and she was operated on at 20:05 hrs the next day, when her live baby girl was delivered by Dr. Ravi Persaud and team.
The other delivery, which was described by Maternity Ward staff as the “easier” of the two cases, was by 16-year-old Sonda Johnson, of Goed Fortuin Squatting Area, West Bank Demerara, who suffered foetal distress and underwent emergency CS at 22:30 hrs. She got a live baby girl, as well, delivered by the same WDRH team.

Expressed gratitude
Ramsaran expressed gratitude to the Obstetrics Team and the Maternity Ward Nursing Staff for what he called “a splendid effort under stressful and
trying circumstances.”
He pointed out that the surgeries had been performed “back-to-back”.
The Maternity Ward and Obstetrics Services at the WDRH are slated to be increased from today when Dr. Amin is scheduled to report there for duty.
Ramsaran announced that visits by teams from the ministry to Region Three will continue on a regular and heightened basis over the next four to six months.