She died because of aspiration pneumonia. This was the conclusion of an autopsy performed on the body of a 10-year-old girl by Dr Prem Chamane, Principal Police Medical Officer at the mortuary of the Dr A.G.Jeetoo Hospital, Port Louis. The child’s father, a 51-year-old police officer posted at the Prosecutors’ Office in Bambous, alleges that his daughter died because of medical negligence by the medical staff on duty in a ward at the Dr Jeetoo Hospital where his daughter was admitted.
It was in the afternoon of Wednesday 23 November that this resident of Residence Frangipane Circonstance, Saint-Pierre filed a complaint of medical negligence made by this police officer at the Central Barracks police station. He gave a medical history of his daughter who had been admitted to the hospital ward following an acute abdominal pain. After X-ray examinations, his daughter underwent surgery as she was suffering from appendicitis.
After her operation, she was returned to the ward. During the night of 21-23 November, she suffered excruciating pain and started vomiting. Her mother, who was present, asked for the nurses’ assistant on the ward, but in vain. She was told that it was normal for her to vomit. The girl’s health deteriorated. After several requests from her mother, at around 4 am on Wednesday 23 November, her GP was informed of the situation.
In the meantime, at 5.30 am, the girl was transferred to the intensive care unit. Unfortunately, she breathed her last at 1.30 p.m. on the same day. Her death was declared by her attending physician.
The child’s funeral took place on Thursday 24 November at 1 pm at the Saint-Pierre cemetery.
An investigation into the circumstances of this death has been initiated at the Central Barracks police station.
