Two young Trinidadian parents are anxiously awaiting police investigations into whether they will be held responsible for causing the tragic death of their child.
The parents, whose names have not been released, fed the 11-month-old baby girl sleep medication in her tea, despite being advised by a pharmacist that the drug was not fit for children.
The infant slipped into a coma and subsequent scans revealed she was brain dead.
According to Caribbean News Now, the Trinidad Newsday reports that on January 31, the father of child purchased a sleeping drug identified as melatonin – a man-made form of a hormone produced in the brain that helps to regulate sleep – to include in the baby’s formula to help her sleep, as she was having trouble doing so.
After being fed the medication, the child fell asleep around 8 p.m. But half an hour later, when the mother went to check on her, the baby girl was found upside down in a clothes basket in an unresponsive state.
The mother made frantic efforts to revive her daughter but after no success, the baby was taken to the Chaguanas Health Centre where an initial test revealed that the infant had possibly suffered catastrophic injury, hypoxic injury and retinal haemorrhaging.
The baby was later transferred to the Children’s Hospital in Mount Hope and placed on a respirator. Two brain tests on the baby revealed she was clinically brain dead and a decision was taken to pull the respirator plug on Monday.
Since then, police have been questioning the parents to find out whether they should be held responsible for the child’s death.
Meanwhile, the pharmacist who sold the drug to the child’s father has offered to cooperate with police investigating the matter.
He confirmed that the father did request melatonin for the child but he had advised the man that the drug should not be given to infants because there was no data indicating it was safe for children.
The pharmacist said he denied the man’s request for the medication, because he had no prescription. However, the man later claimed he was having trouble falling asleep and he wanted the drug for his own use and he was sold the melatonin.
