T&T A-Level student dies from dengue

(Trinidad Guardian) Rela-tives of an A-Level student, who died from dengue haemorrhagic fever have accused the two medical institutions that treated him of negligence. Siewlall Anirudh complained that his eldest son, Andrew, 18, had to wait hours for assistance, and to be admitted at the Couva Health Facility and the San Fernando General Hospital. Andrew, a former student of Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School, died around 8 am on Wednesday at the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando hospital. His distraught father lamented: “If they know how serious dengue is they should not have patients waiting two and three hours without being attended to. “That was negligent on their part…My son went to the Couva Health Facility helpless and had to wait hours,” Anirudh complained. “Why do we have to go through this?”

Andrew, of Orange Field Road, Carapichaima, was taken to the health facility last week Monday after complaining of pain and fever. His aunt Omatie Sadick said he was sent home with panadol after they did a blood test which came back negative for dengue. He was told to return on Thursday. But on that day, the machine broke down so they returned home. Sadick said, however, that around 11 am, Andrew fainted and the ambulance took him to the health centre. “They stay for hours…He could not move, he was unconscious and they had us waiting there,” she said.