– Child Care Protection Agency investigating

TWO months after losing her two sons in a fire at the government-run Drop-In Centre, Sonia George is making claims that her youngest child ingested bleach carelessly left within her reach at the headquarters of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA). The shocking claim is being investigated by the CCPA, director Anne Green said Wednesday evening.
The mother claims that the girl, who is 20 months old, ingested the substance on Thursday, September 15 and was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital the same afternoon and was hospitalised for five days.
George told the Guyana Chronicle that a visit was scheduled for her and her husband at the Child Care and Protection Agency on Broad Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, where the children were brought out from the state-run facility in Sophia to see them.
She recalled that the youngest child was sitting on her father’s lap and after a while was allowed to walk around.
According to the mother, moments after getting out of their view, the child came back to her father, holding a sanitary cup with a substance looking like water and she was coughing. The father took the cup from her and put it to his nose, spontaneously blurting out: “My God, this is bleach this child drink!”
The mother related that this incident was brought to the attention the CCPA Director, Ms. Anne Greene, who cautioned them that they should not have the child walking around picking up things.
George said the following day, around 09:30hrs, she received a call from the CCPA, inviting her to come down to the office. “When I heard that I became concerned and asked what for; then they told me it was in connection with my child who had drunk the substance.”
On arriving at the office, she said she was told that they had taken the child to hospital, but not because of drinking anything, but to determine her state of health and the doctor had advised that she was anaemic and had admitted her to the Paediatric Ward. “I was surprised to hear that admission, and reminded the staff that it is two and half months since my children are in custody of the Child Care facility, so I couldn’t understand that.”
However, she (the mother) went down to the hospital where she saw her child and also saw a care-giver from the CCPA overseeing her. The mother made subtle enquiries while there, and found out that the child was being treated for her stomach. She remained warded for five days and was discharged on Tuesday, September 19, after which she was taken back to the child care facility.
Little did the beleaguered mother know that there was more trouble lurking. She said the same Tuesday she was waiting at the Broad Street facility for a scheduled visit with her eldest daughter, when she saw a case worker and made enquiries about the child. She was told that the nine-year-old was not well and so was not brought over.
“I immediately asked what was wrong and why was I not informed before.” She said it was then that she learnt that the child had taken sick in school. She vomited, was complaining of headaches and abdominal pains and was getting fever,” her mother said.
“I was so shocked and upset, I didn’t take it lightly and told the staff that if anything happens to any one of my children, I would not take it lightly,” Sonia George said. She recalled that she had asked to see the case worker, but was told that the woman had gone to Linden to attend a rally. “So it looks clearly that my daughter’s sickness doesn’t matter,” George said.
She said that with her two sons dead and now her only two daughters having taken ill within a few days of each other, she is asking God to give her faith.
The CCPA Director admitted that the young child was hospitalized, but said no evidence was found to suggest that the child had ingested bleach.
And about the claims that the nine-year- old had taken sick suddenly, Green replied. “I think that this whole thing has to be investigated thoroughly.”