Court extends injunction in PMH death

The High Court in Roseau
The High Court in Roseau

High Court Judge Bernie Stephenson on Friday extended an injunction until Friday October 30, 2015 preventing the burial of the late Lisa Peter of Portsmouth and her dead baby.

Peter allegedly died under strange circumstances while under observation prior to giving birth at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).

The court had granted an injunction preventing an autopsy on Peter until today (Friday) October 23, 2015 pending an independent autopsy being conducted by an oversees based pathologist.

However, by the time the court order was served an autopsy was conducted infuriating Michael Peter, the father of the deceased.

Stephenson said that the court considered it necessary that the claimant (Micheal Peter) be given the opportunity to have the body examined and for a possible further autopsy.

The parties, the chief medical officer, the medical director and the office of the attorney general all appeared in court in order to deal with the matter.

After hearing from Tiyani Behanzin, counsel for the claimant, Tamika Hyacinth Burton with Mrs Jo-Anne Xavier Cuffy for the Defendants and Heather Felix-Evans on behalf of the mother of the deceased, Justice Stephenson ordered the following:

-The claimant file documents unsigned, with the undertaking that the documents will be filed and served on or before 8:30 Monday 26th October 2015.
-The claimant will file and serve all documents duly signed on or before the 27th October 2015.
-The matter be adjourned for further consideration to Friday 30th October 2015 and the injunction granted on the 20th October 2015 peremptorily to 30th October 2015.

However, Felix-Evans, counsel for the mother of the deceased Lisa Peter, indicated to the court that her client does not agree that the injunction should be extended.

The court then stated that the parties can make the necessary applications to discharge as soon as it is possible for the court to hear them.

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28 Comments

  1. Helas!
    October 25, 2015

    I know some of what takes place at the PMH and I do not blame anyone who looks for another opinion, and I actually have little regard to the parent who is not interested in another opinion, but guess what you hear who is her lawyer? I better shut my mouth because Me fraid them lawyers.

  2. too late
    October 25, 2015

    oh by the way where is the new hospital the Pm negotiated, where is children’s hospital form the olympics stars , where are the hospitals from My Dominica Trade House , where is the $300,000, where is the $200,000 and where is the $10,000 check miss Baron the foreign minister took the picture of?

    I Love My PM :-D

  3. Sorry
    October 24, 2015

    Does this tragedy has to be played in the media over and over? Poor choice and isn’t news worthy.

  4. mine
    October 24, 2015

    I know it’s sad but the only person that could prevent it is God, There are lots of women that are high risk pregnancy maybe she was one of them.Good luck to all.

    • Bon Dieu
      October 26, 2015

      How silly. Can you imagine if health professionals take that approach? There are standard procedures to save lives, if we treat modern health care as a “God decides” situation, why bother have a hospital at all. Just sit at home and see what God decides when one gets ill.

      PM said Dominica was set back 20 years. With this mentality, it seems we have stepped back to the dark ages!

  5. Sunshine
    October 24, 2015

    Some of the nurses act like they don’t poopoo, and the quality of care is very poor. You would wonder how and where they got licenses and degrees. My prayers are with the deceased family. It’s time nurses and doctors at PMH are held accountable for their negligent actions or the family members should take matters into their own hands.

    • Fummy
      October 26, 2015

      Miss Sunshine as a Nurse let me tell you we do not do anything unless directed by a Dr. so yes we poopoo like veeryone else, we give the best care that we can give under the circumstances..Our degree and licenses are not the matter here..before casting judgment makes sure you have the facts…

  6. possi overseas
    October 24, 2015

    Fathers always remember who are their kids only when it suits them..This must just me a broke man looking to benefit from a dead child he hardly even took care off. Reminds me of my dead beat father and sperm donor..why it is not made public the girl had sickle cell and hardly a mother would survive having a baby with such illness

  7. October 24, 2015

    Sad times in d a. Sad times. Is so we make our bed already so we have to lie in it now. Alas papa bondier.

  8. Shameless
    October 24, 2015

    Only hypocrites will say we should not politicize the issue or Skerro is not to blame. Let us look at this simple analysis:

    1. A few years ago Skerro needed a basic knee procedure, after analyzing the healthcare situation in Dca off to Cuba he went
    2. Tim-timm had a mils stroke, after evaluation of our healthcare system off to Martinique he went
    3. Charlo got sick, after evaluation of our healthcare system, off to Martinique he went
    4. Googoogaga came along, after evaluation of our healthcare system, off to the USA his parents went
    5. Reggie got sick, after thorough evaluation of the health system, off to Guadeloupe he went
    6. Caherine Daniel got sick, after evaluation of our healthcare system, off to the USA she went
    7. Googoogaga #2 came along, after evaluation of our system, off to the USA the parents went.

    Now Pam and Lisa got very ill, after evaluation of the healthcare system off to PMH Morgue they went. May they RIP in perfect peace. :cry: :cry: :cry:…

    • vanaudel
      October 26, 2015

      You are just too funny.

  9. Francisco Telemaque
    October 24, 2015

    Something is not right here; the family first sort an injunction preventing an autopsy, now there is another injunction preventing burial!

    If someone seek an injunction in order to prevent an autopsy, that might be an indication that someone is trying to hide the cause of the woman’s death! Assuming an autopsy was perform, and some unknown substance was found in her body, a toxicologist should be in process of analyzing the substance, arriving at a conclusion as to what caused her death!

    I can’t understand the injunction which prevents the burial, unless the prior autopsy is inconclusive, and they require the body to be reexamine, to find the cause of death!

  10. The Real Facts
    October 23, 2015

    I am wondering what was her medical condition when she went to the hospital. Was she admitted to the hospital? Sad to say, some babies do die in their mothers’ wombs and for some days.
    In the best of hospitals, some mothers die while giving birth or after giving birth. Dominicans would like to know the entire story, prior to her going to the hospital, while there and when she and the baby died.
    The saddest part though is her family grief which is not an easy one, knowing that she is gone from this world. May God console them.
    We know that God is merciful. November 1st and 2nd, all saints and all souls days are fast approaching. I will place Lisa’s name in the Book of Life in Church for Nov. 2nd when the souls are especially remembered throughout November which is called the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
    I am praying for her soul as I do for others. As for the baby, God has him/her in his care. God bless the soul of Lisa and have mercy.

  11. beatrice
    October 23, 2015

    I happy that you guys take this case to the court because the people at the princess Margaret hospital …………..
    The don’t treat their patient like sick patient..

  12. Dominican
    October 23, 2015

    This is beginning to smell like rotting fish ,i mean come on what are they trying to hide
    an injunction was served and not one medical professional from PMH management team
    stop the pathologist on the first autopsy , then they needs to be severely reprimanded
    if it means that heads have to roll then so be it starting with the hospital director or who so ever
    is commander in chief

    • October 24, 2015

      Who said it was served? If it was served and they had gone ahead with the autopsy they would be liable for contempt.

  13. Faceup
    October 23, 2015

    The whole hospital should be arrested , especially them fake fake fake Cuban trained doctors…Well Skerro having his Baby in a very classy private hospital ?

    • Informant
      October 24, 2015

      I can’t stand silly comments. What does where Skerrit has his baby have to do with this? So many Dominicans go overseas to the US or Guadeloupe to have their children. The man has the right to go where he pleases to have his child…. he is the one paying for it.

      The bottom line, this is a case about a death at the hospital under strange circumstances, and the processes of the court so comment on this please.

    • oh lawd
      October 24, 2015

      First people to get blamed are the Cuban trained doctors eh. Why don’t you wait to see the outcome of the entire story. Just quick to shoot off at the mouth, yet sounding so uneducated. Doctors around the world make mistakes…it really doesn’t matter where they were trained. They are HUMAN!!!! Also keep in mind that PMH is rather ill equipped…doctors don’t have many of the basic equipment to run the basic diagnostics test available to them. Doctors are over worked and underpaid. So stop shooting off at the mouth and casting blame…wait for the courts to rule and then speak

    • anonymous2
      October 24, 2015

      The PM is not so smart as he thinks. They shoot the baby up with vaccines and vit. K shortly after birth all of which have mercury, formaldehyde and other neurotoxic agents. which will affect the undeveloped neurological system of the poor baby. I guess that he didn’t know that.

  14. Lol
    October 23, 2015

    That is drammer, father who never know if the girl was living team up with Tiyani against the mother that spent all her life taking care of her daughter. Time will tell.

    • The Real Facts
      October 23, 2015

      The parent who took care of her daughter throughout her life, who recognized her as her child should be the one to have the first and last say.
      Probably the father financially supported her and thinks he has all rights. We should hear more about this case in time.

      • Tommy
        October 25, 2015

        Why don’t you shut your trap and go roll in the pooppool , pinez and pool bwah?

        What gives you the right to be the decision -maker in the family’s business?

  15. too late
    October 23, 2015

    alas poor dominicans with babies and citizens dying at a hospital that is infested with pooppool, pinez and pool bwah. In the mean while PM and ministers run away to Cuba, Guadeloupe, Martinique and america for medical attention.

    the people of Portsmouth i guess they still love their Pm

    • The Real Facts
      October 23, 2015

      PMH is an old hospital. The PMH probably is in dire need of volunteers. Why do you not volunteer to help them clean it up. You will be doing a great service.

    • Anonymous
      October 23, 2015

      I just read this and extend my sincere sympathy for this family. The above remark sounds like a passing remark, It is shameful to see this happening in the 21st Century when we have so much exposure to the outside world. My God Dominica is finishing. But then as blog states our government ministers go to other islands for medical services. And indeed the Prime Minister as well, who have a big house and could convert one of his rooms into a birthing room for his children if he did not want themin a hospital in Dominica, I was born at our meager home.THE THING I WANT DOMINICANS TO THINK ABOUT THOUGH IS THIS, HAD PRESIDENT OBAMA SEND HIS WIFE TO DOMINICA TO GIVE BIRTH AMERICANS WOULD RUN HIM OUT OF THE COUNTRY AS SOON AS THEY KNEW -BUT THEN AGAIN OBAMA IS A PATROIT AND HIS COUNTRY MEANS A LOT TO HIM. ON THE OTHER HAND OUR PM HAS LITTLE ALLEGIANCE TO DOMINICA BECAUSE HE SHARES HIS CITIZENSHIP BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES. It is not the hospital that makes the difference it is the quality of…

  16. No Law, No constitution...
    October 23, 2015

    Does what that court say or sign even matter these days? Let’s not forget that Dominica is a country where no law, no constitution can stop certain politicians or friends of certain politicians from doing whatever they feel like.

    As far as I am concerned, it is even easier for me to believe the contract of High Court Judge Bernie Stephenson is terminated by Monday than to believe his request will be upheld.

    • ME
      October 25, 2015

      The key word is sign. If the court did not sign it, then its not good.

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