The death of a three-day-old infant at the Mabaruma Regional Hospital while awaiting an urgent air evacuation has exposed critical gaps in the national medical transfer system, raising questions about why a country branded as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies does not own a single dedicated aircraft for emergency medical evacuations.

Despite operating in one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, the Ministry of Health relies entirely on a messaging group to secure emergency air evacuations, a practice now under the microscope following the death of the infant in Region One.

Kaieteur News understands that when a medical emergency arises in a hinterland region, attending doctors trigger a medevac request. The request is then posted directly into an official Ministry of Health WhatsApp group, which includes private commercial aircraft operators who service those routes. Questions now mount as to why no plane was made available for the newborn, despite nurses executing their duty by notifying health authorities, who in turn alerted service providers via the designated group.