By AZARD ALI Wednesday, April 9 2008

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Justin Logan Paul ...

THE parents of the baby who was severely burnt with a hot water bottle at the Mount Hope Women’s Hospital in April last year, has slapped a million dollar lawsuit against the health facility for negligence.

The incident happened when baby Justin Logan Paul was born to Tunupuna mother, Nicola Carter, and which prompted the Ministry of Health to dismiss two members of staff from the health facility pending an investigation into the circumstances.

Logan Paul suffered second degree burns five hours after he was born on April 17. Following an investigation commissioned by the Ministry of Health, a nurse and a nursing assistant were dismissed in May.

In June, the Chief Executive Officer of the North-West Regional Health Authority apologised to the child’s parents — Carter and husband Jerome Paul.

The couple in a lawsuit filed by attorney Anand Ramlogan, are seeking aggravated and exemplary damages for personal injuries. Carter gave birth to premature twin boys at 12.40 am and 12.51 am. The boys were healthy and normal, the lawsuit stated, during which Carter spent three hours with them before they were taken to the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit at the hospital. The mother was transferred to the Post Natal ward.

According to the lawsuit, Carter went to check on her sons at about 8.30 am but had to wait because doctors were making their ward rounds.

In the lawsuit it is stated that at about 10.30 am, Dr Lakiram escorted the mother to see her sons, and it was only then she learnt that the elder twin — Logan Paul, had sustained second degree burns caused by a hot water bottle. Hot water bottles are placed in the incubator in which premature babies are kept, to maintain a certain temperature.

The burns extended from the top of the baby’s left shoulder to approximately one inch off his wrist.

Carter stated in her lawsuit that she became distraught and telephoned her husband. The baby cried constantly. The couple are also seeking damages from the NWRHA for shock and emotional distress, on the ground that doctors and nurses on the ward refused to inform them how the incident occurred.

The lawsuit is contending that the nurse failed to monitor the baby in the incubator so as to assess the level of heat from the water bottle. The lawsuit also accused the NWRHA of hiring inexperienced nurses to provide a proper heating system for babies.

Water bottles are an outdated means of heating incubators.