Order a coroner’s inquest into the babies’ deaths
Dear Editor,
I would like to express sincere condolence to the parents of the 18 babies who died as a result of the klebsiella and serratia outbreak at the University and the Cornwall Regional hospitals. The parents must be taking it very hard.
Was the police informed of this outbreak in order for them to investigate, and have the bodies been removed to the contracted funeral homes in Kingston and St James for forensic post-mortem examinations to be done?
Will the Ministry of National Security, in consultation with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice order a coroner’s inquest to determine if anyone should be charged?
Jamaica is promoting health tourism and it is one of the most affordable countries in the world where patients from overseas come to do surgical procedures and for maternity purposes.
Clinical scientist and microbiologist Anthony Jones has indicated that less than acceptable hygiene practices could have caused this latest nightmare to strike the health sector. The two hospitals where the outbreak occurred are teaching hospitals, so what signal are they sending.
Whose responsibility was it to inform the minister of health of the outbreak which started from as early as July 2015?
How were the bodies disposed of? Were they incinerated? Were the families given the opportunity to have private burials, in light of the circumstances, to at least assist them in dealing with their grief and to bring about some closure.
If these bodies were incinerated without a post-mortem examination to identify the bacteria, how are we to know that it was the klebsiella bacteria that caused their deaths? The Ministry of Health, the University Hospital of the West Indies and the Cornwall Regional Hospital have a lot of questions to answer.
Was the government forensic pathologist assigned to the Ministry of Health asked to assist with the post-mortem. The forensic pathologist would have taken blood and tissue sample for analysis.
A coroner’s inquest must be held to:
1) determine if these babies died of the klebsiella virus;
2) determine if anyone is responsible; and
3) determine if anyone should be charged.
Joseph M Cornwall Sr, JP
Managing Director/CEO
House of Tranquillity Funeral Home Limited
tranquillityfh@yahoo.com
