Mother to sue hospital after son breaks arm

A mother is planning to take legal action against the Bustamante Hospital for Children after she found her four-year-old son, who was admitted at the facility to treat asthma, with a broken arm on the day that he was suppose to be discharged.

Janesha Richards, 24, said that on October 27, when she went to the hospital to retrieve her son, she saw him wailing in pain and unattended to.

"So mi start ask questions and one of the nurses said him nuh hear, that's why this happened to him," Richards recalled. "They said that it is not their fault if him crawl out of the crib and break him arm but mi a say if he was with me and that did happen, they would want to carry mi go station."

MISS WORK

According to Richards, her son was treated for the broken arm, but a few days later, she was called into a an 'important' meeting at the health facility which caused her to miss work which led to her being fired from her job.

"They said that they want to meet with me, so I told my boss and him say is either my son or the job," Richards recalled. "When I go back to work the Monday, the man say that I am fired."

Now that the situation has cost her job, Richards said that she is taking legal action against the hospital.

"If it wasn't for their negligence, I would still have my job," Richards said.

A representative from South East Regional Health Authority confirmed that the baby's arm was broken while in the care of the hospital.

Richards said she was told in the meeting with the hospital officials that if the grille on the crib was up when her son fell from it, then the hospital would not assume responsibility.

The representative, who asked for anonymity, said that an investigation into the matter has been launched.