The parents of Asia Marie, the baby who died after her mother Chelsea Robinson spent more than a day begging nurses for help at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex earlier this month, are preparing to take legal action following the infant's autopsy which was done on Tuesday.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Asia Marie's father, Brian Small, said the family had opted to do a private autopsy on the child's body.This follow's some concerns the family raised after the child's body was moved from Mt Hope to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for an autopsy without the family's knowledge.
The private autopsy was done on Tuesday around noon.The family has refused to give details about the autopsy but says it is their intention to pursue a legal matter given the results."We talked to a lawyer and we were advised not to talk about the autopsy results.
"We will be taking legal action though," Small said.Asia Marie died in her mother's stomach before an emergency delivery, after medical staff discovered faeces had entered the womb.Immediately after the infant's death family members expressed fear that staff may have been negligent with the young mother.
Robinson spent three days in labour and relatives said she was turned away from the hospital as nurses said she was not ready to give birth. Yesterday, Small said Robinson was recovering from the pain of her loss and was "doing alright."
Following the death of baby Asia Marie, as well as the death of another baby and mother recently, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said there was an urgent need to revise policies regarding maternal health in T&T.
He said he believed that many of the cases of maternal death could be avoided if mothers knew their respective health conditions better. Asia Marie is to be buried on Saturday.