Mother, Unborn Child Die At St. Jude

A FULL inquiry will be commissioned before this week into the death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child at St. Jude Hospital last Saturday.

So said Merlene Fredericks, Chief Medical Officer yesterday.

“We have done a preliminary investigation and so far, on review of the notes, of which I was involved in, it appears that there may have been some underlying medical condition which contributed to the young lady’s demise. However, as a Ministry, before the end of the week we will commission a full enquiry…,” Fredericks said.

She said that the inquiry will include specialists in obstetrics, gynaecology, internal medicine and cardiology from St. Jude, Victoria and community hospitals to ensure that procedures and policies were followed during the care of the deceased.

St Jude Hospital has since extended condolences to the deceased family, particularly her mother and partner.

“The woman arrived at our Emergency Room in critical condition. Despite the best efforts of our medical team, the lives of the mother and her baby could not be saved. SJH Medical Director, Dr. Carlene Radix together with the attending physicians met that evening with the family to explain the circumstances and to convey our sympathy,” the hospital noted in a statement.

It added that this incident, as is the case with all maternal deaths, was immediately reported to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), as the representative of the Ministry of Health.

“The hospital has a process of Peer Review that thoroughly examines all maternal deaths. A team comprising independent clinicians is currently being put together to review the incident and the findings of a post mortem that is being conducted. This review will take place this week. St Jude Hospital will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Health in conducting a full review to determine the cause of death,” the hospital noted in its statement.