KERIECEAN Frankson is still demanding answers from Spanish Town Hospital about what led to the death of her baby in October last year.

The 37-year-old woman, who was expecting her first child, told the Jamaica Observer on Monday that she made several attempts to reach out to the hospital but to date, she has not received any solid information about the matter.

But Jacqueline Ellis, chief executive officer of Spanish Town Hospital, said she is aware of the matter which has been escalated due to the concerns raised by Frankson.

Further, Ellis denied claims of lack of communication with Frankson.

“She was a patient of the hospital; I am familiar with the case. We reached out to her because we should’ve had a meeting, but she didn’t come in. We made several calls to her which went unanswered,” Ellis said.

Frankson, however, shared that she endured a tough ordeal between the period October 17-23 at the Type B hospital.

“I should’ve gone to the hospital on Sunday morning to be induced on Monday, but I was told I would not be induced until October 19. For that entire day I was on the ward and no one attended to me. I kept asking for my doctor because I was not introduced or aware of who my doctor would be. In the evening a young lady came to me — a doctor who was attending to the other mothers on the ward. She came and apologised because she overlooked me and said she would be sending me downstairs to the maternity ward,” she said.

Frankson explained that after being on the maternity ward for a while she was later rushed to the operating theatre for an emergency C-section.

“They explained the medical procedure and said I needed the spinal method [spinal anaesthesia]. My face was covered with a green sheet and during the procedure I heard,’Wi cut her wrong. Wi cyaan cut her again because if wi cut her again, she aguh dead. So I heard them call another doctor and said to her, ‘You are an expert in this, come and assist,” she said.

“Shortly after I heard them asking for olive oil and a receiver and I heard the baby crying. Upon leaving the theatre I left the baby in the room with two ladies attending to him. I went back to my bed station in the isolation ward and I asked about the child and I was told in the morning I would get my baby,” she added.

But on the following morning, October 20, Frankson said she was still unable to see her baby.

Instead, she was asked to do a COVID-19 test and to confirm information for the registration of her child, which was done by a representative from Registrar General’s Department (RGD).

“The nurse came to the isolation ward and had me sign the red and white birth certificate receipt. When I asked for it she told me that she is going upstairs to have it stamped and returned to me. To date, I have not received that document and she did not return,” she said.

Frankson further explained that after three days of waiting to see her child, a medical official told her she could only see pictures of the baby, as they were still waiting on her COVID-19 results.

“She [medical official] said if I need to see my child I should send my phone. A doctor came to collect the phone and the pictures were sent to my phone via Bluetooth because I don’t have WhatsApp,” she said.

Unfortunately, her relief quickly turned to shock and disbelief.

“In the process of sending the pictures to my relatives, two ladies came to me and said they heard the sad news that the baby passed. I said what? How can the baby pass and I was told today that the baby is okay? I started to call my relatives to tell the news I received. Then, the lady who attended to me I recall her saying, ‘Frankson, my shift soon finish, so I have to do what I have to.’ She received a call on her phone saying that I was supposed to go to the nursery to identify the baby. I said I couldn’t go to the nursery when the baby was not introduced to me,” she said.

“A lady came around to me and started to quarrel and said ‘Be a professional person and remove the child from the nursery because it is going to be harmful to other mothers and their babies, and I am inconsiderate,” she added.

Frankson said later that night she was not sure what transpired as shortly after receiving an injection, which made her feel abnormal, she was asked to sign a form which she was not allowed to read.

“What bothers me is that on Saturday [October 23] I received another injection. I was COVID free and I was told that I signed over my parental rights and there was nothing to get. When I went to ask the doctor a question she said she is not able to answer. I just need closure to what really transpired,” she said.

She said she also contacted RGD about her baby, but was told that no record was available.

With regards to registration of the baby, Ellis said, “The hospital and RGD are processing that documentation [death registration]. It is longer because generally we would wait on the relatives to come in and do it, but on recognising that the mother wasn’t coming, we have to now take it on ourselves to do it because it is something that must be done.”

The hospital’s CEO also shared, based on reports she received, that the baby was born very ill and the cause of death is still being processed.