PMH confirms incident with infant in ICU

PMH confirms incident with infant in ICU
(FILE PHOTO)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) and Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) yesterday confirmed recent reports regarding a “situation” that occurred at the hospital affecting an infant.

The admission comes following a distraught mother telling Eyewitness News on Tuesday that her newborn son suffered severe burns at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) with “little to no explanation”.

According to the boy’s parents, who appeared as guests on ILTV’s “Beyond the Headlines” with host Clint Watson, they took their baby to the hospital because he was experiencing breathing issues, but days later were told he had suffered burns to his leg.

Princess Margaret Hospital.

Due to PMH’s COVID-19 policy forbidding visitation, the parents said they were initially unable to see their son even after being advised of his condition.

It was not the first time the hospital has come under fire for its care of infants or mothers, with a social media by a young mother last September setting off a firestorm of testimonies from others.

The PHA offered a public explanation of the most recent incident yesterday, noting the one-month old boy was admitted to the Children’s Ward of PMH on Friday, June 25 and was subsequently transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) under the care of a neonatologist on June 28.

The PHA said while in ICU, the infant experienced an intravenous (IV) infiltration, resulting in injuries. The authority referred to this as “a common complication during IV therapy”.

“The hospital’s executive management and clinical teams have met with the infant’s immediate family and will continue to provide subsequent daily updates to the family as per facility policy,” the PHA statement read.

“The infant continues to receive specialized care for his condition.”

The PHA also reminded the public that visitation at PMH is still “restricted to ensure the safety of patients and staff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic”.

“Visitation for patients in ICU and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is determined on a case-by-case basis by the clinical team,” its statement noted.

“The public is further reminded to follow all announcements and health advisories from the Ministry of Health and the Public Hospitals Authority for information regarding health and hospital services.”