Cornwall Regional Hospital conducting review after death of baby delivered at hospital
ST JAMES, Jamaica — The Cornwall Regional Hospital says it is now conducting an urgent review following the death of a baby delivered at the hospital on Good Friday.
“The Cornwall Regional Hospital is saddened by the outcome of the case in the death of Shandale Ballentine’s baby and has expressed sincere condolences to the patient and the affected families. The hospital is providing psychosocial support to the patient and her family,” the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) said in a press release on Wednesday.
WRHA said an urgent review is being conducted, and the hospital will communicate further with the family as it remains committed to patients’ privacy.
“The Cornwall Regional Hospital assures the public that the matter is being treated with urgency and is committed to transparency, as we remain committed to patient safety and delivering quality care,” WRHA said.
The WRHA’s statement comes after the mother took to the social media platform TikTok to share what she described as her delivery horror story at the hospital.
According to the mother, she has been a high-risk patient and suffered from high blood pressure throughout her pregnancy. Ballentine said she was admitted to the hospital on March 24, 2026, where she spent four days, after which she was sent home with medication for the high blood pressure.
However, she said after she began to experience swelling in her face, feet and hands, she returned to the hospital, where she was readmitted.
After being readmitted, she shared that the doctors attempted to induce her into labour last Thursday, but it was unsuccessful. After another attempt to induce her labour on Friday, Ballentine said the doctors broke her water.
“A girl beside me delivered as well. We both went into delivery at the same time. Her baby was born at 7:30. My baby was stuck in my birth canal for about 30 minutes after the girl had her baby. The baby stuck and wouldn’t move. I start begging her. I say, ‘Please cut me. Cut me vagina and take out the baby.’ She says you don’t want me to cut you with those scissors because those scissors, yeah, can’t even cut old cloth. I tell her to cut me because my mind is telling me that the baby has been stuck there for too long. Even she says, ‘Mother, your baby is going to die because he is not getting any air and he is stuck there too long.’ You have to push,” Ballentine recounted.
