The Public Health Ministry earlier today said that the improper disposal of a foetus at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) was due to negligence.
The Ministry in a press release stated that there is an established protocol for the disposal of Biohazardous waste in the Public hospital setting and this was not adhered to by Hospital personnel.
The Ministry explained that the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has the proper means of disposing Biohazardous waste, so much so that other hospitals send their biohazardous waste to be disposed there.
In an effort to explain what exactly transpired, the Ministry added: “The administration of the Diamond Diagnostic Center contacted the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud to confirm the Standard operating Procedure in such a circumstance.
“Following this, the CMO and the Chief Executive Officer of the GPHC, Mr. Allan Johnson arranged to have the foetus properly disposed at the GPHC. The Diamond Hospital’s administration was instructed to send the foetus for proper disposal at the GPHC, but there was lack of compliance.”
INews understands that further investigations into the matter will be conducted to ascertain who was responsible for this “gross act of negligence” and the authorities are expected to take the necessary action, including disciplinary, to ensure that an incident of this nature does not reoccur.
INews had reported recently that the body of a stillborn baby was discovered earlier this week wrapped in red plastic in the hospital compound by patients who were waiting to be attended to by health workers.
Sources say a stray dog had dragged it out of a garbage bin that was being used to dispose of hospital waste and refuse and carried the bag with the foetus to an empty location. The animal then began ripping through the bag when persons noticed what was happening and raised an alarm, notifying hospital staff of what was transpiring, and scaring the dog away.
INews understands that the mother of the baby was under observation in one of the wards at the hospital.
According to a source, the woman had delivered a stillborn baby over the weekend and she was fully aware of the fact that her child had died. However, the foetus was improperly disposed of, with regular garbage in a large garbage container (bin) in the hospital compound.
Isn’t the mother of the foetus usually given an option to bury her baby? What do they do, just take it away and throw it like a dead animal?