The Government of Trinidad & Tobago will not foot the bill for the three-member Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) team’s investigation into the deaths of seven babies at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
This confirmed by health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh who also confirmed that the full investigation was completed, its findings would be made public. Deyalsingh made the comments prior to the commemoration of the opening of the Sangre Grande Hospital.
The probe stems from the deaths of the babies due to a bacterial infection at the NICU between April 4 and 9, according to NWRHA.
The PAHO team, Prof Nalini Singh, a paediatrician from the George Washington University in the US; Dr Grisel Rodriguez, head of Microbiology at Centro de Asistencia Medica Soriano in Uruguay; and Dr Gillian Birchwood, a newborn intensive care specialist and head of the Neonatal Care Intensive Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, had completed their investigation and met with ministry officials.
Minister Delalsingh added that he was pleased that the three experts “got unfettered access to everything”, which included touring of the NICU and viewing of its equipment, and that health workers were also cooperating with them.