Parents of six-year-old Jasher are rejecting the findings of an autopsy conducted today and are awaiting the results of a second private autopsy to be done tomorrow before making their next move.
Thursday night, a live stream video of the parents detailing their experience during the child's final moments went viral and today our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh sat down with them at their San Fernando home for this story.
00:00Six-year-old Joshua Francois was taken to hospital by his parents out of nothing more than mere precaution.
00:23He had a cough, and they didn't want it to worsen into a chest infection.
00:28Treated and warded late on Wednesday night, he was administered medication on Thursday morning while still on the paediatric ward of the San Fernando Teaching Hospital.
00:38As soon as he injected that thing through the IV, we're going to go take a couple of seconds to run down.
00:47So I would imagine as soon as the public had entered through the IV, he'd wake up one time after the ball, and he'd ball it down the place.
00:56I said, Joshua, what happened to you?
00:59Daddy, it burned, and he communicated with me.
01:01Daddy, something burned in my hand, it burned in my hand, it burned in my hand, it burned in my hand, and he vomited.
01:06He says he then questioned if the medication was safe, to which the nurse suggested the IV might be positioned badly.
01:13The dad says she then left and returned shortly after, indicating the doctor said children are normally a little irritable when the medication is given through the IV and resumed treatment.
01:25As she started back, that magnesium sulfate thing, I see when she started back, when you see the drops coming, he's had a cremice and pain again.
01:34And he's had a cry. I said, Joshua, relax, relax yourself, thing. I think everything is normal.
01:40And then he said, Dada, I want to go home. Dada, I want to go home.
01:43I said, Sonny will get better.
01:44Dada, I want to go home.
02:14That medical staff were unempathetic.
02:17On Friday, an autopsy done at the San Fernando General Hospital concluded, Joshua died of aspiration pneumonitis or viral pneumonia.
02:28They were told it was linked to the reason he was admitted.
02:31But it's a result they say they completely reject and await the results of a private autopsy that they've arranged for Saturday.
02:39I said a lot of medical professionals reached out to us and they said this drug is not supposed to be administered without proper supervision, especially for a six-year-old child.
02:49And especially when a child is not asthmatic, my son is not asthmatic.
02:53And one of the things is that the toxicity of it, it could take you into cardiac arrest, which is what I think happened to my son.
03:00Unable to eat or sleep since his death, the Francois say the pain has also been seeing Joshua's brother, just one year older, process the news.
03:10My son woke up this morning and said, Mommy, yesterday was the worst day of my life and today is the second worst day of my life.
03:18A lively six-year-old, love to watch TV, love to eat, right?
03:24Even though as a younger sibling, Joshua does run things.
03:27Joshua controlling the TV remote.
03:30Joshua...
03:30Controlling the game.
03:31He holding the Nintendo all day.
03:34He loved the wild play.
03:35We have this, good morning, Mommy, good morning, Daddy, where's my breakfast?
03:40And to think that I will never hear that again because somebody's stashed that away from me.
03:45Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:46Only six years, I get to spend a very sweet baby.
03:48They received calls from the Ministers of Health, Dr. Lakram Bodo, and their MP, Education Minister, Michael Dowlath,
03:56extending condolences and to say they were instructed by Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bissessa to launch a thorough investigation.
04:04They say they will push until there is justice for Joshua so that, through his death, many other children will live.
04:12Depending on the outcome of this, we will be seeking justice for Joshua to make our stance.
04:17If you are in this profession, you must apply a certain degree of care and empathy because it's people's lives.
Be the first to comment