Judge Orders NWRHA to Release Report on Seven Newborns’ Hospital Deaths

A High Court judge has ordered the North West Regional Health Authority to release its internal report and related records on the deaths of seven newborns at Port of Spain General Hospital, ruling that the authority wrongly used legal professional privilege to block disclosure. Justice Robin Mohammed said the NWRHA failed to properly investigate the April 2024 NICU outbreak or interview bereaved mothers, breaching its own policy and the Freedom of Information Act.

Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan has urged the NWRHA to settle claims by the families of seven newborns who died in a 2024 bacterial outbreak at Port of Spain General Hospital, saying public money should not be spent on fighting grieving mothers. His call follows a High Court ruling ordering release of the authority’s internal report, which he says the public deserves to see.

High Court Judge Robin Mohammed has criticised the former North West Regional Health Authority board for refusing to release its internal report on the 2024 NICU bacterial outbreak that killed seven babies at Port-of-Spain General Hospital. He found the secrecy “highly suspicious” and said the report should be disclosed to the grieving families, as it may be vital to their negligence claims and public accountability.