Internal investigation underway into teacher’s death

An internal investigation into the death of 22-year-old Jacinth Muhammed Osborne, a teacher who died while undergoing a Caesarian Section childbirth at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital in Region Six got underway on Wednesday.

This is according to Dr. Bob Ramnauth, the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the public hospital, who spoke with the News Room on Wednesday.

Osborne was a resident of Wairuni near the Berbice River in Region 10. According to a recent statement from the Ministry of Health, she was previously receiving antenatal care at the Calcuni Health Centre in the Berbice River but was later admitted to the New Amsterdam hospital on September 28, for induction of labour due to late-term pregnancy.

The ministry also reported that the young woman went into cardiac arrest during this surgery and despite strenuous efforts, resuscitation failed. The woman’s child was delivered and was in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, according to the ministry’s statement also, an autopsy was done and both internal and external investigations have commenced.

Dr. Ramnauth told the News Room that the internal investigation had commenced on Wednesday; the external investigation that should be conducted by the health ministry has not yet started.

While the internal investigations were ongoing, the CEO said that the management of the hospital has been interviewing each person involved in providing care to the woman, to ascertain what transpired.

“This is not an investigation to accuse everyone, this is an investigation trying to get the facts,” he said.

When asked if any of the staff involved were suspended pending these investigations, the CEO explained that doing so would not be possible.

This is because healthcare workers from three different shifts were involved in treating the woman and Dr. Ramnauth reasoned that if all of those individuals were sent home, there would be few people left to provide the day-to-day healthcare needed at the hospital.

He, however, noted that any disciplinary action would be taken after the conclusion of both investigations.