Woman dies after induced labour

THE FAMILY of 27-year-old Ria Nancoo wants answers for her untimely death at the Maternity Department of Port-of-Spain General Hospital hours after giving birth to a healthy baby boy on July 11. Nancoo’s father, Tony Rambaran asked: “Is that how people lose their lives so easily? The family is traumatised and cannot come to terms with this. My beautiful young child.” Ria was his first child. Rambaran said Ria went to her doctor’s private practice in Chaguanas on July 10 because the baby was two weeks overdue. Rambaran said she had been seeing the doctor regularly for the past six months and the family was assured that everything was normal with the pregnancy. The doctor administered medication to induce labour and Ria returned to her family’s home in Curepe, where she had been staying in anticipation of the birth. Rambaran said his daughter began bleeding after noon on July 11 and her husband Nigel took her to Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

Rambaran said Ria’s doctor worked at PoSGH this is why the family decided she should give birth there. “The baby was delivered at 3.48 pm normally, and after she looked at the baby she just fell back on the bed and continued to bleed.” Rambaran said attempts were made to reach her physician and on the third try he was contacted. “The doctor asked to speak to the nurses but he did not come right away. He came an hour later.” Rambaran said it was about 5 pm when the doctor arrived. He also said before 7 pm the family had to get the drug cytotec for Ria because it was unavailable at the hospital. Rambaran said he was told the drug was “to stop the womb from contracting to stop the bleeding”. Rambaran said Ria’s doctor tried until 10.40 pm to revive her but she was dead. He claimed the doctor said she died because her blood would not clot.

The next day the doctor also said Ria ruptured a major vessel during delivery. “If he knew she was two weeks overdue couldn’t he have done something earlier or even during the delivery?” Rambaran said Ria has a five year-old daughter and did not have complications with that birth. Rambaran insists that “things did not go right” the day his daughter went to PoSGH and he believes this was due to carelessness. “My interest in wanting exposure for this situation is because I find they are insensitive about the whole thing. They are treating it as another issue. My family is in a state of grief. I think this needs further investigation.” Attempts to get a comment from the doctor proved futile. He told Newsday the public service regulations did not permit him to provide information to the media. He referred Newsday to the office of the Medical Chief of Staff.