An Essequibo mother is being accused of abandoning another baby at the Suddie Public Hospital.
Regional Democratic Council (RDC) councillor Malika Courtman disclosed at the RDC statutory meeting for November that a baby girl has been at the hospital for two months. Courtman, a nurse by profession at the Suddie Public Hospital, said that the child was transferred from the Oscar Joseph Hospital at Charity to the Suddie Public Hospital when she was nine days old. Today the child is two months old and to date, the mother has never revisited the hospital.
Speaking at the statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Courtman said that it is about time that RDC councillors become familiar with the matter. She said that it is the nurses and doctors who are taking care of the baby. The baby is said to be healthy but requires constant attention from the hospital staff. The baby currently is nameless but is being affectionately called “Devina” by nurses and doctors. Courtman also disclosed that when the doctors and nurses are otherwise engaged with patients, the baby cries uncontrollably as there is no one to provide care.
Courtman said that with the current Covid-19 environment it is unsafe for the child and called on regional officials to reach out to the relevant ministry to acquire immediate and appropriate care for baby “Devina”.
“The child is basically living on donations, it has to get milk, pampers and all the responsibilities are on the health officials at the hospital, the baby girl needs a safe home away from the pandemic”, Courtman said.
Regional Health Officer, Dr. Ranjeev Singh, said that he had engaged the attention of the Regional Child Care Protection Officer. He disclosed that the child’s father did visit but could not take the child due to orders from the Childcare Officer. Dr. Singh said that the hospital had instances where elders were abandoned by their children and were living at the hospital for over 11 years, however this was the first child case.
Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva who said she is very concerned after having learned of the incident ordered an immediate investigation. De Silva said that the child will have to be taken to a safe home until the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security through the Child Care Protection Agency can assist. This newspaper understands that the mother had left her first child at the hospital years ago. That child was later adopted by a family.
