Family members of 36-year-old Latoya Griffith from Gibraltar Village, Region Six, are calling for answers following the tragic deaths of both Latoya and her newborn at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital. The hospital has confirmed that a medical investigation is currently in progress.
Region Six Regional Health Officer, Dr Vineshri Khirodhar, told the News Room that the matter is being treated seriously and that a formal review of the case is underway to determine precisely what occurred.
According to Latoya’s family, she visited the New Amsterdam Public Hospital clinic on Tuesday, November 18, where she was informed that she needed to be admitted as it was time to deliver her baby. She was expected to give birth later that night or early Wednesday morning.
Latoya’s mother, Virginia Jonas, said she last saw her daughter alive during a visit on Thursday.
Family members told reporters that Cytotec was administered to induce contractions. They said Latoya showed no signs of dilation after the first dose, and a second was administered. It was only after a third reported dose that Latoya began to bleed heavily.
The News Room understands that medical staff made significant efforts on Thursday to save the lives of both mother and child; however, despite those efforts, they did not survive.
Jonas expressed her anguish, saying, “My opinion is like when me daughter done dead then they C-section she and take out the baby because the baby wasn’t breathing on his own.”
She added, “If you know you got to get cut, you don’t induce labour.”
The family did not disclose any medical explanation for the deaths, but they say they want accountability and clarity on what went wrong.
“I need justice for my daughter… She done dead and gone and she get kids behind. She had a family—who going to take care of them?” Jonas asked.
Through tears, she continued, “It ain’t easy. She get she three kids—who going to take care of them? Me daughter always say, ‘Mommy, I staying right by you and take care of you when you get elderly.’ Now look what happen. Fuh she bury me, I got to bury her.”
The Regional Health Officer said further information will be shared once the investigation is completed.
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