Freedom Law Chambers, the Attorneys representing the parents of eleven babies who died in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Port of Spain General Hospital between February and April, is accusing the North West Regional Health Authority of tampering with the medical records of at least one of its clients.



The NWRHA said the 1st Certificate was issued immediately following the death of the neonate, based on the presentation of the symptoms, before the results of any tests were obtained and it was believed at that time that the blood culture would have returned positive so sepsis was indicated on the Certificate.

Subesquently the parents registered the birth of the neonate with the name Skiye Wilson...and the Death Certificate had to be amended to allow the death to be registered by the Registrar of Births and Deaths.

The parents went to the NWRHA on April 19th, however the doctor who filled out the 1st Certificate was not on duty to make the amendments on the original Certificate, so as is the usual practice a new Certificate had to be issued.
By this time, the laboratory results were obtained and revealed all blood cultures to be negative for bacteria or fungi, so factually, sepsis was no longer a definitive cause of death, but now only presumed, given the neonate's symptoms.



Alicia Boucher has the details.