Probe into KPH death still ‘ongoing’
Published:Thursday | March 18, 2021 | 12:23 AM
The voice notes of Shenay Spencer crying for help echoes in the head of her family while they await the findings of the investigation launched by the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).
Spencer, who was a COVID-19 patient, died on March 3 at the KPH after sending voice notes and messages via WhatsApp, and making several calls, to her family complaining about the inefficiency of the high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy machine she was on.
Dr Natalie Whylie, senior medical officer at the KPH, told The Gleaner on March 5 that the hospital would launch an immediate investigation and would have a report ready within 24 to 48 hours.
Two weeks later, the investigation has still not been concluded.
“It is ongoing,” Whylie said on Wednesday.
The senior medical officer disclosed that reports were still outstanding from some doctors who attended to 32-year-old Spencer. She also mentioned that “other things came up during the investigations”.
Tosheba Welsh, Spencer’s sister, said on Wednesday that the family has not received any calls from the authorities.
After the matter was brought to her attention by The Gleaner, Whylie had explained that the first course of action would have been to contact the family to document their concerns which would, in turn, guide the investigation.
When asked if contact had been made, Whylie said she delegated that responsibility to the director of patient affairs, Dianne Duke, and would check to confirm if anyone had reached out to the family.
However, this was not verified, as further calls to Whylie’s cell phone went unanswered.
“I didn’t know that I would have to be dealing with this feeling,” said Welsh, who has been suffering from insomnia since the passing of her sister.
She also had to visit the doctor after an anxiety attack.
“I can’t get to break down, I can’t get to cry because of the pain,” she said.
Welsh told The Gleaner that her mother, Janet Riley, has been asking for space to grieve, and her sister, Andrea Richards, has been struggling to pick up the slack for the family.
“It’s rough,” she said. “The less that I am reminded about it, the better it is for me.”
Spencer was a palliative care nurse at the Jamaica Cancer Society.