Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has described the recent death of six-year-old Jasher Francois, at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital, as heart-rending, as an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the boy's death is now underway.

Speaking to reporters on August 12, after a lease distribution ceremony for former Caroni (1975) Ltd workers, at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA), the Prime Minister said it was a very tragic situation for her as a mother, grandmother, and a human being.

"That is why I asked the (Health) Minister (Dr Lackram Bodoe) to set up an independent investigative team. Last night, the minister did give me a brief report, but we will give it time to see what we can pull out of it," she said.