Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan says the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, did everything possible to save Persia, one of the sextuplets born prematurely on March 4 to Keron Cummings and Petra Lee Foon. Persia, the last of three sextuplets who were hospitalised after birth, died yesterday at 12.40 am according to sources who wished to remain anonymous. Persia was four months old.
Khan, in a telephone interview, said from a verbal report he received, he understood Persia suffered from an increased fontanelle (the gap between the bones of a baby’s skull). Khan said this condition seemed to indicate Persia had hydrocephalus (defined by Wikipedia as water on the brain). Khan said she also had “a congenital malformation of the lungs” and as a result, her lungs were smaller than they should have been, so as Persia grew she was unable to breathe on her own.
He said the baby’s death had nothing to do with the quality of care she received. “No matter what part of the world she was in, I doubt they could give her a new lung or brain.” He said the three remaining sextuplets are at home “thriving and doing very well.” Khan said as far as he was aware both parents had been informed of Persia’s condition and were given information and made aware of what was going on as the months passed.
“The neo-natal unit did all that was possible to save her,” he said. Chairman of the North Central Regional Health Authority Dr Shehenaz Mohammed said yesterday Persia was resuscitated late in the night and died early yesterday morning. “Baby Persia had a number of congenital abnormalities detected at birth,” she said. Mohammed said the baby’s parents had been told about the child’s poor prognosis.
She said the baby was put on a ventilator at birth and later weaned off it but approximately a month-and-a-half ago she was put back on the ventilator because she had chest problems. A May 6 T&T Guardian report said Persia had pneumonia and her situation was then described as critical. When asked if Persia’s death had anything to do with the standard of care she received, Mohammed said no. Persia had received care that was in keeping with international standards, she said.
Mohammed offered condolences to the baby’s parents on the authority’s behalf, as well as on behalf of the staff at the NICU. The baby’s brothers—Kaelon Nasir Lee Foon Cummings and Paeton Christopher Cummings—died from upper gastro-intestinal bleeding. Asked about the health of the surviving three sextuplets, Mohammed said the babies have been attending the child development clinic and she had not been informed of any problems so far.
Parents Petra Lee Foon and Keron Cummings could not be reached for comment.