The North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) has denied what it says are malicious claims that its internal investigation into baby deaths at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital is an attempt to cover-up issues or tamper with evidence and sanitise records ahead of a probe by the visiting three-member Pan American Health Organisation team.
In a release issued yesterday, the NWRHA said it was deeply saddened by the recent negative commentary about its operations and was fully committed to resolving the matter.
Saying events such as the bacterial outbreak at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) required investigation to provide a foundation for resolution and improve clinical practice, the NWRHA said, “It is standard practice that all RHAs conduct an internal investigation when there is an adverse event at any public hospital in accordance with internal policy. The internal investigation is not an attempt to tamper with evidence, but rather a necessary procedure mandated by established policy.”
The NWRHA said it was fully cooperating with the PAHO in its investigation upon request and as required.
“All requests from PAHO are being facilitated, and meetings have been arranged as per their requirements.”
It said PAHO representatives met with NWRHA laboratory staff on Tuesday in the department’s lunch/meeting room, which is the designated area for group meetings.
The PAHO team includes Professor Emeritus-in-residence, Professor of Pediatrics, Global Health and Epidemiology at the George Washington University in Washington DC, USA, Dr Nalini Singh MD, MPH; Clinical Microbiologist, Head of Microbiology, Centro de Asistencia Medica Soriano and expert in IPC, AMS Dr Grisel Rodriguez, MD, PH, who is PAHO’s international consultant based in Uruguay; and Newborn Intensive Care Specialist and head of the Neonatal Care Intensive Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados, Dr Gillian Birchwood, MD.
In addressing what it called the laboratory process, the NWRHA said the sanitisation of work areas within the laboratory was a standard daily procedure, which was being done on Tuesday.
“The suggestion that this daily practice equates to tampering of evidence is both reckless and unfortunate. Claims of the need to recreate or reinvent the department are baseless and unfounded, as the Haematology Department underwent a rigorous audit process in December 2023 and received recommendations for certification by the Jamaican National Accreditation Agency,” it said.
On equipment maintenance, the NWRHA assured the public that “all centrifuge machines utilised in the laboratory of the PoSGH to make blood components have been calibrated and certified for use by CARIRI”. “Efforts to maintain equipment, such as the replacement of a centrifuge, are part of standard maintenance procedures and not indicative of any cover-up,” it said.
The authority disclosed that a centrifuge was purchased in September 2023 and arrived in country on March 19, 2024. It said the external biomedical contractor did a pre-installation visit on April 19, 2024, with plans to install the new centrifuge by April 26, 2024. Works to remove the old centrifuge from the department began on April 20 and up to Tuesday, the area continued to be cleared to facilitate the installation of the new machine.
“Contrary to reports, there are currently no “dilapidated” refrigerators in use at the Haematology laboratory. No refrigerators were removed or replaced from the laboratory that have been in use. Repairs were conducted on Tuesday on two of three refrigerators that were awaiting repairs. All other refrigerators at the lab are fully functional and continuously monitored as is mandated by policy.”
On queries about out-of-order labels on equipment, it said, “There are protocols in place for labelling equipment as “out of order” and any actions taken were in line with established guidelines. The Laboratory Equipment Officer is the only person authorised to place an “Out of Order” sign on equipment,” it added.
It said on Tuesday, laboratory staff observed that the parameters of the Seamaty SDI Auto Dry Chemistry Analyzer (a secondary machine utilised to test patient’s blood for emergency use) was appearing out of range, although it appeared in normal range on Monday.
The NWRHA said this led the department supervisor to suspect that the equipment may have been adjusted and resulted in the Equipment Officer placing an “Out of Order” sign on it until it could be rectified. It said all primary machines and other secondary machines remain functional.
“The authority urges responsible reporting by the media, emphasising the importance of verifying claims before publication. Misinformation, whether intentional or unintentional, can have a lasting negative impact on public confidence in the healthcare system and its dedicated workers,” it added.