Michael Abrahams | Dead baby scandal déjà vu (Part 2)

In 2015, over four months, from June to October, 18 premature babies died from infections caused by four bacterial outbreaks at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew and the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in St James.

Then Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson said he had been kept in the dark by his technocrats during that time but claimed to have immediately taken action when informed of the situation. Unfortunately, the minister made a statement in Parliament claiming the babies were “not babies in the real sense.” The backlash resulting from his insensitive comment was swift and severe. The minister later apologised to the families affected by the deaths for his faux pas, stating he “would never disregard the life of any human being” and explained that he “simply wanted to convey that premature babies are more susceptible to infections.” The Opposition dismissed his explanation, with then Opposition Leader Andrew Holness calling for his resignation. By the following month, he was reassigned by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and replaced with Horace Dalley.

In July 2022, nine newborn babies died from infections during a bacterial outbreak at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH), the country’s only hospital dedicated to women’s health. Two deaths were reported in August and two more in September, giving a total of thirteen. However, the public was unaware of the issue until October 26 of that year when a media house broke the story. Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, was taken to task, with accusations being made that he presided over a cover-up of the crisis and withheld information about it from the public.

DENIED COVER-UP

Tufton denied a cover-up, stating, ”The primary concern at the time was solving the problem – ensuring no more loss of lives while balancing the risk of causing panic and hysteria in the context where the situation now seemed under control.” He also claimed that the first time the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) team brought the problem to his attention was “towards the end of August.” However, in Parliament, Tufton was unwilling to reiterate his claim of being informed late. Opposition leader Mark Golding asked him twice to confirm if he was first made aware of the situation in August of that year, but the minister did not answer the question and was shielded from further questioning by Deputy Speaker Juliet Holness, who stated that the time for fielding questions had elapsed.

Now, it has been reported that 24 newborns have died at VJH during the first 24 days of June this year. That is a rate of one baby per day. Again, attention is being directed at the minister and the MOHW. Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie said a bacterial outbreak, as well as equipment issues, have been ruled out as possible causes of death.

In his remarks, Dr Tufton conceded that labour shortages should not be overlooked and encouraged women to adopt healthier lifestyle practices and comply with antenatal visits, stressing the importance of early intervention, as 60 per cent of expectant mothers across the country have not been attending prenatal visits. He also said the lack of proper prenatal monitoring, as well as uncontrolled lifestyle diseases in some pregnant women, have been linked to preterm delivery.

TO BE DETERMINED

However, Dr Bisasor-McKenzie said it is to be determined whether the mothers were delinquent in attending prenatal visits. Also, of the babies who died that month at VJH, 55 per cent were born prematurely and 60 per cent had low birth weight, which means that at least 10 were not premature and at least nine did not weigh less than they should have.

The tone of the minister’s response concerns me. The death of a newborn can have a devastating effect on the child’s mother and her family. But Dr Tufton’s comments have been devoid of compassion and empathy. Rather than being condolatory, he has instead chosen a narrative placing responsibility squarely on the shoulders of pregnant women. It would be unfair to blame the minister for the deaths of the babies. However, when one is in the position of ultimate authority, one must shoulder at least some of the responsibility for mishaps that occur under your watch. Rather than deflecting and utilising PR strategies to absolve himself from responsibility, the minister must acknowledge that maternal health has not been doing well under his stewardship.

For example, according to data from his ministry, the country’s maternal mortality rate in 2019 (at 163.5 per 100,000 live births) was the highest since the turn of the century: a period spanning twenty years. When he took office in 2016, the rate was 110. The pandemic cannot be blamed for this, as the first case of COVID-19 in Jamaica was recorded in March 2020. What is also interesting is that our fertility rate had fallen to 1.9 (children per woman) in 2021, our lowest on record, and has been at that level since. This situation is cause for concern because it is below the replacement level of 2.1, which is the average number of children per woman required to maintain a stable population.

Therefore, the data shows that our elevated maternal mortality rate is accompanied by a falling birth rate. In other words, fewer children are being born, but the likelihood of women dying while pregnant or soon after delivery has increased. Meanwhile, the minister has been encouraging women to have more children in a system that has become less safe for them.

After the dead baby scandal in 2015, then Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, while speaking on a political platform, declared, “This government does not care about your health,” adding, ”I hear the spirit of the 18 babies that have died because of the incompetence of this government,” and concluding, “All she (Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller) needs to do is fire the minister of health.”

Apparently, the prime minister’s standards have fallen.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams