Doctors and nurses who were on duty the night Chrystal Boodoo-Ramsoomair died will soon know their fate.
The report into the circumstances surrounding her death is now in the hands of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan who is examining the document. On Monday, Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis received the report from the Dr Bharat Bassaw Commission which concluded the probe last Friday. Baptiste-Cornelis said there were issues in the report which needed to be clarified, hence the reason for it being referred to the AG. Baptiste-Cornelis promised the report would be made public. Chairman of the South West Regional Health Authority Dr Lackram Bodoe said when a copy was forwarded to the SWRHA, the authority would then meet to decide what action, if any at all, was to be taken against the doctors and nurses who were on duty on the night Boodoo-Ramsoomair died.
The Trinidad and Tobago Medical Board is the body authorised to discipline doctors. Attorney Ravi Rajcoomar, who is representing Boodoo-Ramsoomair's widower Lorne Ramsoomair, said he had not yet seen the report. Rajcoomar said they were anxiously waiting to see the content before proceeding with legal action.
"We have held our hands in sending out a pre-action protocol letter...We want to know what is in the report before proceeding further," Rajcoomar said yesterday. Boodoo-Ramsoomair, 29, died at the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital on March 4, after giving birth to her third child by Caesarean section. Her daughter Danielle, survived. Her other two children are Christian, five, and Sarah, 18-months' old.
An autopsy performed by pathologist Professor Hubert Daisley revealed that she died as a result of hypovolaemic shock, poor hysterectomy arising from the C-section. Her private doctor and family members claimed two arteries were mistakenly cut during her delivery.
The autopsy findings resulted in the SWRHA immediately suspending five doctors and five nurses who were on duty during Boodoo-Ramsoomair's stay at the hospital. Both the TTMA and the Medical Professionals Association (MPATT) condemned the suspension, claiming it had the effect of compromising the obstetric and gynaecological care and also stigmatised the suspended officers with implicit guilt. MPATT further charged political interference. A delay by former CEO Paula Chester-Cumberbatch, in delivering the letters of suspension to the ten medics, resulted in her dismissal from the SWRHA on March 17. She was later replaced by Anil Gosine, who is still acting. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has since appointed an inter-ministerial team headed by Dr Tim Gopeesingh, and including Dr Roodal Moonilal and Errol McLeod, to investigate her dismissal.
The institution was plunged into further chaos, when on May 18, acting Medical Director Dr Anand Chatoorgoon was told his contract, which ended on March 31, would not be extended. Industrial action led to all elective surgeries being cancelled, after statements by the Chief Medical Office and Permanent Secretary that doctors who did not have post-graduate degrees could not act as registrars. Persad-Bissessar intervened in the impasse and hammered out an accord with MPATT, which had previously advised its doctors not to participate in the probe. The investigation saw the Bassaw team interviewing all doctors and nurses in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, ICU, theatres and wards, from all shifts. Also appearing before the panel were pathologist Daisley, consultant gynaecologist Dr Jehan Ali, who was Boodoo-Ramsoomair's private doctor, representatives from the nursing management as well as Chatoorgoon. Ramsoomair declined to testify, without the presence of his attorney.