Mum recalls son’s final days

By GEORGINA KOREI
AN emotional Raela Wanzing claimed medical negligence lead to her son Rex’s tragic death on Aug 13 last year when giving testimony at the coroner’s inquiry yesterday.
Rex Wanzing, 14, died after complications from surgery to remove a growth near his right eye at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH).
Wanzing told the panel that her son’s condition had deteriorated rapidly after coming out of surgery on Aug 12 and that the medical staff at PMGH had not done enough to save her son.
Raela and husband Benjamin said the most frustrating thing about Rex’s death was the hospital staff’s indifference and lack of respect and courtesy when informing them of the boy’s death.
The mother recounted her son’s fluctuating temperature and difficulty breathing and the efforts by PMGH staff to treat him that did not prevent his condition from deteriorating less than 24 hours after coming out of the operating theatre.
Wanzing said after giving medication to her son while she and her husband took turns watching over Rex there was a period of at least three hours where he was not seen by a doctor as his condition worsened.
“It was later when the eye doctor (named) came and checked his vitals and assisted him,” she said.
Raela said the doctor told her and Benjamin that the operation had gone well but was not sure why Rex was reacting the way he was.
She said the doctor and another medical staff took action to help her son breath properly by inserting a tube though his chest but this did not work and he was rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU) at around midnight.
“We went to see him, however, he was on life support and the nurses asked us to leave and only visit during visiting hours due to the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) protocols,” she said.
“We left the hospital at 4am in the morning to go home to wash and change and come back later.”
Raela said at around 5am she received a phone call from the hospital’s ICU and they rushed back to the hospital.
“We rushed back only find out that Rex was dead and already wrapped in a sheet and left on the bed in the ICU waiting for us, his parents to come and see,” she said tearfully,” she said.
“I was so hurt and frustrated.
“In situations like that, doctors should be alert and take note he was in a critical condition but they never attended to him.”
Benjamin Wanzing testified that the hospital needed to improve services.