The premature baby of Somatti Singh died yesterday morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) and he will now be cremated beside his mother.

Singh, of Mahaicony Creek, died on Monday afternoon after she was reportedly forced to walk to the washroom instead of being given a bedpan which she and her relatives had repeatedly asked for. She had a pre-existing heart condition, requiring her to wear an oxygen mask at all times. The mask, according to family members, was removed by a nursing assistant. The employee denies this and the hospital management had started an investigation.

Singh’s father, Ram Sankar, said the wife’s husband, Balram Singh had gone to the hospital yesterday to register the baby but was told by the nurses that the child had died.

Sankar said that the hospital had wanted to perform a post-mortem on the baby, however, the family protested and they were later told that child had a lung problem.

The distraught father said that he now had to get a pass from the Ministry of Health for the body of the baby to pass the police stations on its way to Good Hope. He said since he was unable to get the necessary documentation yesterday he would now have to visit Georgetown again today and he is very frustrated.

Singh was scheduled to be cremated on Monday but because of the death of her son they will be both be cremated on Sunday instead.

Meanwhile the hospital has called upon visitors and patients who witnessed the incidents leading up to the death of Singh to contact the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Khan. The statement had also revealed that the Patient Care Assistant and the Registered Nurse, who were on duty at the Maternity Ward at the time, have been given leave pending the findings of the investigation.

But Sankar is questioning whether the women were indeed sent on leave since he saw them in different locations of the hospital on Wednesday. A hospital source clarified that the leave started yesterday.

Sankar said he and other relatives had given statements to the hospital officials. He said that he had some problems with the line of questioning of the official who took his statement. According to the man he was asked if he was aware that his daughter had become pregnant. “I tell he that me daughter did marry so if she pregnant she pregnant and me must bin a know. Dah question was really stupid and it make no sense.”

He also asked why he needed to be asked if he was aware his daughter was admitted to the hospital and knew she had given birth. “I don’t know wha kinda question was dem dah because if deh trying to find out wha happen dah day ask me about dah day!”

Meanwhile, relatives are questioning why the woman was not placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital since she had such a serious heart problem that required her to wear an oxygen mask at all times. “...If they did place she in deh, [ICU], she woulda get better treatment and coulda still been living...” one relative said. (Samantha Alleyne)