A dehydrated 2 year old died while being transported from San Pedro to Belize City for treatment yesterday on a water taxi. And tonight the parents are saying that when they brought the baby in for medical care, the polyclinic had overlooked them despite the baby showing no signs of improvement. Jomarie Lanza spoke with the grieving mother today and here's what she said happened.
When these 2 parents exhausted all their options to seek care for their 2 year old infant on the island, they caught the next boat out. But by then it was too late, and they had to endure the agony of an hour-long boat ride, clutching their infant son's lifeless body.
Mother of little Kaleel Nah who spoke with us today at the KHMH and told us that she had been monitoring her son's fever since the weekend, but never thought his condition would have worsened so quickly.
Virgen Garcia, Mother of Deceased Baby
"My baby started feeling bad since Saturday after midday. I was trying to treat him and the fever I was giving him Tylenol and although my baby was bad he was still playing and he was still smiling like any other time he gets sick. Which was rare my baby was a healthy baby, rare the times that he got sick so Monday although I saw him better I still took him to the polyclinic and I told them in fact me my daughter and the baby's father. I took two of them for the same thing which was fever, cough and vomiting. They just gave him medication for the vomiting and fever and they didn't tell me what my baby had, if he got an infection or maybe it is just a virus they just gave me the medication and now Monday night my baby started to feel more bad and you could already see his sad face, he was still walking and trying to play but you could have seen a difference. Tuesday after lunch I took him to a private doctor up north and all they gave him was an injection for the vomiting and that was around 5 or 6 that they ended up attending to him and around 8 I saw my baby was not getting better. So I took him back to the polyclinic on the emergency side and they took me in and they told me they would put drips on him and I said okay. And they started pinching my baby over and over and they couldn't find his veins. They spent almost 2 hours trying to find his veins."
They ended up admitting her baby at the emergency and they were only able to treat him orally. But this morning the Doctor's shift was over and they passed Kaleel onto the next doctor on shift. And according to her, the baby was stable, but Garcia knew she was wrong.
Virgen Garcia, Mother of Deceased Baby
"They did an X-ray, they did manage to get some blood and she told me everything was good and his lungs were good but I told her my baby is not good, my baby was not waking up and my baby was cold. I told her my baby does not sleep for long. His eyes were getting swell and she replied to me it is normal for a baby to sleep when they are sick because that's the way they try to get back but no my baby no. he wasn't even smiling or talking. They nebulized him like 3 times and one of the last things they did apart from an injection they gave him and then she told me I have to come to Belize, and she sent me for an emergency check up with a pediatrician. But she tell me that my baby is good, but I knew my baby wasn't good, my baby was not the same."
Running out of options and desperately seeking care for her child, Garcia says they bought boat tickets, and hoped they would get to the KHMH in time, but her baby never made it.
Virgen Garcia, Mother of Deceased Baby
"She told me you have to go on the next boat to make it to Belize today but on the boat my baby didn't make it. When we got to Caye Caulker my baby didn't make it."
"I feel like they could have done better like my baby didn't receive the medical assistance he needed."
"I feel like they could have done better if they knew that they saw no difference. They could have sent me to Belize earlier or at least help me with the flight that moment that they gave out. But no the lady told me it would be best if you grab the boat and take the baby to Belize today."
"I feel like they didn't respond to him the proper way and all I can tell you is that they could have done more they could done more than what they did."
A release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness says "the child was admitted at the island polyclinic for management of an acute respiratory infection and dehydration. Upon signs of improvement, the parents were advised to seek specialist care for further management."
Tonight, many are asking if they should not have done more diligent aftercare since children and babies are much more delicate than adults when they're dehydrated.
The Ministry adds that they are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the care provided to the child at the San Pedro Polyclinic and the events leading up to his death. This is a coroner's case therefore we await the result of the autopsy."
