ST ANN, Jamaica–The leadership of the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital has submitted a preliminary report on the death of Kenise Dunn, with the release of an official statement expected in short order, says Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton.

According to the minister, following the preliminary report, administrators will meet with Jamaica’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, after which an official statement will be released by the hospital.

Kenise Dunn, 33, was an eight-month-pregnant patient admitted at the health facility on July 29 after having trouble passing her stool for at least three days.

Dunn, who was the mother of two older children—a four-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter—gave birth to a third child during her stay at the hospital on August 9.

Kirk Hall, uncle of the deceased, told the Jamaica Observer that shortly after the birthing process, Dunn needed emergency surgery, where doctors reportedly removed a tumour, believed to be cancerous, that was found in her colon. Hall added that compounding her afflictions, doctors said they removed the colon, and two litres of stool from her body after a bowel rupture.

Dunn died five days later, on August 14.

Bereaved relatives have since been vocal about the circumstances of her passing, demanding that the hospital provide a detailed account of Dunn’s stay at the facility.

On Monday, the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Dennis Morgan told the Observer that an internal investigation was ongoing and that the family will be provided with the facts once the probe is complete.

READ: Hospital death probe