The family of a newborn baby who died after reportedly waiting days for medical evacuation from the hinterland is calling for answers, transparency and a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
In a public Facebook post, the baby’s aunt, Cindy Correia, said her sister, Stacy Correia, went into labour on August 9 after slipping and almost falling earlier that day.
According to Cindy, Stacy first visited the Matthew’s Ridge Hospital, where she was assessed and later transferred by road to the Port Kaituma District Hospital. Correia said healthcare workers were aware that her sister was a high-risk mother.
After arriving at Port Kaituma, Stacy was assessed again and found to be a few centimetres dilated. Arrangements were then made for her to be transferred by boat to the Mabaruma Regional Hospital, where she spent the night. She delivered her baby on August 10.
Cindy said she remained in contact with her sister throughout the ordeal and later learned that the baby was having difficulty breathing.
“She told me that her baby wasn’t breathing properly because when the nurse took over, she found him looking cyanotic, with a low RBS,” Cindy wrote.
The baby was placed on oxygen, but according to Cindy, his condition worsened.
She said the newborn spent the night receiving oxygen and remained on CPAP support on August 11. Later that day, Stacy was reportedly told that the baby’s respiratory distress had worsened and that he would have to be intubated if his condition deteriorated further.
Cindy said the hospital began contacting other facilities to find one that could accept the baby, but the family was reportedly told that no space was available.
As the baby’s condition worsened, he was intubated. Cindy said the family was later informed that space had become available at the West Demerara Regional Hospital and that attempts were being made to arrange a transfer by medevac. However, she said no medevac was available on August 12.
The baby remained at Mabaruma Regional Hospital for another night as the family continued hoping he would be moved to a higher level of care.
Cindy also claimed that repeated power outages during the period made the situation even more frightening for her sister. On August 13, Stacy was reportedly told that efforts were still being made to arrange a medevac. However, the baby’s condition later deteriorated rapidly.
“Despite the efforts made to save him, he sadly did not make it,” Cindy wrote.
The aunt said the family is not only grieving but also seeking answers about whether the baby’s death could have been prevented had a medevac been available earlier.
“I cannot say with certainty what would have happened if a medivac had been available, but I cannot stop asking myself: Would his outcome have been different if he had received timely access to the higher level of care he desperately needed?” she wrote.
Cindy said her sister, who works in healthcare, has spent her life caring for others, but when her own child needed urgent care, the family felt abandoned by the system.
“My sister did not deserve to be treated the way she was,” Cindy wrote, adding that the family believes she was left without the urgency, support and resources needed in a critical moment.
“Why should someone’s access to quality healthcare depend on where they live or how much money they have?” Correia asked.
She also questioned why a medevac was not available during what the family described as two critical days.
