Prime Minister Expresses Sympathies to Families of Babies Who Died at Hospitals

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller has expressed sympathies to the families of the babies who died from infection caused by the Klebsiella and Serratia bacteria at the University Hospital of the West Indies and Cornwall Regional Hospital, while urging the Ministry of Health to ensure that the situation does not recur.

“I extend sincere sympathies to parents and other members of the families of those children who died. The Ministry of Health and the Minister will look at the present system to see what needs to be done to ensure that what happened will never, ever happen again,” the Prime Minister said in a statement at Parliament yesterday, Tuesday, October 27.

Mrs. Simpson Miller emphasised that “Our children are our future, and we have a responsibility to ensure the protection of our children, the future leaders of this country.”

As of October 27, 19 babies have died from the infectious bacteria.

The Prime Minister and the entire Government deeply regret the occurrence and understands the pain and anguish suffered by the parents and other relatives of the infants affected.

Thorough investigations continue to be carried out to identify all contributing factors to ensure that corrective measures, which have started to be implemented, are accelerated and maintained.