Greene: No bacterial outbreak baby deaths at Spanish Town Hospital

The South Eastern Regional Health Authority (SERHA) has denied claims that newborns recently died from a bacterial outbreak at Spanish Town Hospital amid revelations of swirling infections at Victoria Jubilee which killed at least 13 babies since July.

People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell turned up the heat on under-fire Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton on Monday, questioning whether a similar bacterial scourge had caused newborn deaths at Spanish Town Hospital.

Campbell rallied a crowd of partisans, including Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott, councillors and supporters, who displayed placards during a noisy protest outside the St Catherine hospital.

But SERHA director Errol Greene, in a statement issued to The Gleaner late on Monday, said there have been no deaths of babies linked to bacterial spread in Spanish Town’s nursery.

Greene said that the increased mortality rate in July – when 43 per cent of infected babies with Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter perished at Victoria Jubilee Hospital – and August compared to earlier months is consistent with the pattern of an influx of preterm infants being delivered during that period.

“We have had no deaths in babies with positive cultures in the last three months. We have had no bacterial outbreak in the SCN at Spanish Town Hospital,” Greene said of the special care nursery.

“... The babies that demised, based on autopsy reports, did so from varying reasons. Prematurity, perinatal asphyxia, extreme prematurity, congenital pneumonia were some of the causes found at post-mortem.”

Greene said that health officials were proactive when they noticed an uptick in the rate of admissions, and overcrowding, triggering routine deep cleaning and swabbing.

Among the recommendations was the cleaning of air-conditioning units.

“We therefore relocated to HDU on the 13th of October to facilitate this,” Greene said. HDU is the high dependency unit.

“Deep cleaning is a routine, twice-monthly activity in the nursery to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms.”

Earlier, Campbell maintained his call for Tufton’s resignation for failing to make public the outbreak until four months later.

“I want the minister to tell us how many babies have died right here at the Spanish Town Hospital, and we don’t want to hear that you didn’t tell us because we are going to panic. We want to know what is going on at this hospital,” Campbell demanded.

The party general secretary accused Tufton of dereliction of duty and mismanagement of the health sector.

Nine newborns died at the Victoria Jubilee maternity hospital in July – seven from Klebsiella and two from Acinetobacter.

Two Klebsiella deaths were recorded in August and two more in September.

The health ministry has said that a previously listed death in October, the 14th of the four-month period, has since been disqualified as having been caused by Klebsiella.

Both Tufton and Prime Minister Andrew Holness are scheduled to address Parliament on Tuesday.

Campbell, who is a medical doctor, argued that the health minister is not fit for the job because of his ignorance of healthcare matters. He also bashed Tufton for allegedly believing he was above criticism and being held accountable.

“He said he didn’t tell the country because he didn’t want panic and hysteria, but Minister Tufton needs to understand that he is not the authority on matters relating to healthcare. To be frank, Minister Tufton cannot even pronounce most of the jargons in the health industry,” Campbell said.