The Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has also made the call for an external investigation into the deaths of the three children who all lost their lives while receiving cancer treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
According to the Party in a statement, parents have certain expectations when they place their children in the care of healthcare institutions and they deserve answers.
Moreover, the PPP/C expressed its sincerest condolences to the families of six-year-old, Corwin Edwards, six-year-old, Sherezer Mendonca; and three-year-old, Roshini Seegobin and urged GPHC to provide answers.
Mendonca was taken to the Paediatric Ward on January 3, where she was administered with an injection before undergoing treatment but became unresponsive. She was transferred to the ICU where her face started to swell and later succumbed.
During the same period which Mendonca was admitted, three-year-old Roshani Seegobin visited the said medical institution for cancer treatment but after returning home, her condition deteriorated. She was diagnosed with leukaemia and would usually receive treatment at the GPHC.
This publication understands that another child, Curwayne Edwards, also passed away during this period after undergoing similar treatment. The use of the drug has reportedly since been discontinued.
Rights of the Child Commissioner and activist, Nicole Cole had also expressed her view that an external investigation which includes representatives from recognised and relevant organisations is more in keeping with transparency than the hospital investigating itself.
Following the concerns raised, the Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence said her ministry has reached out to Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) for technical support in its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the passing of the three children at GPHC.
In a statement, at her Brickdam office, Minister Lawrence noted that the technical support was sought from PAHO to support the process of openness and transparency.
Meanwhile, PPP/C also expressed condolences to the family of Mae’s Secondary School student, 15-year-old Vanica Schultz who allegedly took he own life at the educational institution on Thursday last.
According to the Party, the incident underscores the need for greater vigilance so that support mechanisms can be in place and accessible at times when our children are faced with difficult choices.
