Newborn badly burnt in hospital

A five-week-old girl mysteriously suffered second-degree burns in and around her mouth at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC) in Kingston.

The incident, according to the newborn's mother, Ayesha Brown, 23, took place last Thursday shortly after visiting hours had ended. She, however, learnt about the situation the following day when she went back to visit her child.

Up to press time yesterday, the mother said that she had not received an explanation from the hospital about how the incident occurred.

The baby was admitted to the BHC, the only specialist paediatric hospital in the country, to be treated for jaundice. However, seven days into her stay, Brown turned up at the hospital to find the child's mouth badly burnt.

"Nobody no wah tell mi who did have the baby [from Thursday night] to when mi reach di hospital di next morning. Everybody a say dem don't know! Why dem cyah tell mi wha happen to mi baby?" asked Brown.

She told THE STAR that between Friday and Saturday afternoon she was unable to breastfeed the baby due to the sore and blisters on her lips and tongue. During that time, in order to feed the child, she had to express her milk and then use a syringe to squirt it into her mouth.

The mother is livid! She even feels betrayed.

"Dem a tell mi seh di baby inna good hands but if mi baby did inna good hands then that wouldn't happen. So at this point mi no trust nobody. All dem a seh to me is that dem a work pon it and dat di matron dem still a do dem investigation," said Brown during a telephone interview with THE STA R.

Brown said that seeing her baby struggle to feed as a result of the burns has weighed heavily on her.

"Mi baby uncomfortable and mi only a break down every minute when me see how she mek up har face when she fi tek har milk. Mi can leave mi baby good good at the hospital only fi come back and see this suffering weh dem a put har through," the mother of two said.

Brown said she no longer trusts the BHC staff and has decided to remove her child from under their care.

"Why should I leave my child there? You come to visit and see that happen to your baby, you still would leave your child in danger? If dem did come to me and say 'Mother, yuh know say mi never did feel the feeding fi know say it hot like that', mi wouldn't a push it suh," she said.

"I am carrying her to a paediatrician and if dem say mi fi do a test, mi a guh do one pon mi baby. Mi tired fi cry, mi tired fi nah eat and cyah sleep a night time. Mi head a hurt mi right now because mi affi a cuss. Mi trust dem di fuss time, but mi cyah trust dem again. I think I will get a lawyer to put on the case because mi worried over her."

When THE STAR contacted the hospital for a comment yesterday, the news team was told that the hospital's CEO would issue a statement on the matter. However, none was received at press time last night.