The family of a newborn who died at the Mabaruma Regional Hospital after spending days in respiratory distress is demanding answers over a delay in securing a medevac to transfer the critically ill baby to a higher-level facility.
Cindy Correia, the baby’s aunt, shared in a social media post that her nephew was born on August 10 at that hospital after his mother, Stacy Correia, went into labour while in the hinterland.
The woman began showing signs of labour on August 9 after slipping and nearly falling earlier that day and she was initially taken to the Matthews Ridge Hospital, where she was assessed and transferred to the Port Kaituma District Hospital.
According to Correia, healthcare workers were aware that her sister was considered a high-risk mother. She said after arriving at Port Kaituma, the woman was assessed and found to be several centimetres dilated and arrangements were then made for her to be transferred to the Mabaruma Regional Hospital, with a boat eventually transporting her there later that day.
After the baby was delivered on August 10, Cindy said she remained in contact with her sister throughout the process and was later informed that the newborn was experiencing breathing difficulties. According to her, a nurse found the baby appearing cyanotic, with a low blood sugar reading, and he was placed on oxygen.
Cindy said her sister subsequently told her that the baby’s condition worsened despite receiving oxygen through the night. By August 11, she said, the newborn was receiving CPAP support. Later that day, Stacy was reportedly informed that the baby’s respiratory distress had worsened and that he would have to be intubated if his condition deteriorated further.
Cindy said the hospital began contacting other facilities in an effort to secure a place where the baby could receive a higher level of care, but the family was informed that no space was available. The baby was subsequently intubated as his respiratory condition worsened.
According to Cindy, the family was later informed that a bed had become available at the West Demerara Regional Hospital and that arrangements were being made to transfer the newborn by medevac. However, she said no medevac was available on August 12.
The baby remained at the Mabaruma hospital for another night, with his mother continuing to hope that he could be transferred and receive the specialist care he needed. Cindy also alleged that repeated power outages occurred during the period, adding to the distress experienced by her sister while her newborn was critically ill.
On August 13, the family was reportedly told that efforts were still being made to arrange a medevac. The baby remained at the hospital throughout the day before his condition deteriorated rapidly, and despite efforts to save him, he subsequently died.
Cindy said the family is now seeking answers and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the newborn’s death. She questioned why a medevac could not have been secured for two days. “I cannot say with certainty what would have happened if a medevac had been available,” Cindy said. “But I cannot stop asking myself: Would his outcome have been different if he had received timely access to the higher level of care he desperately needed?”
She said her sister, who works in healthcare and has dedicated herself to caring for others, was left feeling that she and her newborn did not receive the urgency, support and resources they needed when they themselves required care. The family is not claiming that the newborn’s death was definitively caused by the lack of a medevac, but is demanding an investigation to determine whether the delay in accessing a higher level of care played any role in the outcome.
“Every life matters. Every mother deserves to feel safe. Every newborn deserves a fighting chance,” she said.
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