Needle Found in Newborn's Back - Father: "My baby needs an HIV test"
A needle was found in the back of a newborn - Father: "My baby needs an HIV test".
Jean-Marie St Cyr, 24/06/2025 - 12:20
A complaint has been filed with the police, and the Health Department has opened an investigation. The Child Development Unit has been alerted.
Kavishen Moonnesawmy and his partner, Jennifer Marie, residents of Résidence Vallijee, experienced a nightmare at Dr. A.G. Jeetoo Hospital. On June 21, just days after the birth of their infant, the couple faced an inexplicable incident: a needle was found in the lower back of their baby. An investigation has been initiated.
It all began on June 18 when Jennifer Marie underwent a cesarean section to deliver her child. The newborn was immediately placed in the nursery. The next day, due to slight swelling, the baby was moved to another room and put on antibiotics after being reported as "fussy" during the night.
On Friday, June 20, the child was finally returned to her mother. Jennifer, still weak from her surgery, changed her baby's diaper that evening and noticed that he seemed restless, but she dismissed it as a normal reaction. The baby’s clothes, provided by the mother, were put on by hospital staff.
The next morning, as a nurse prepared the baby for a bath, the unimaginable happened: a needle was discovered embedded in the child’s lower back. Panic ensued for both the mother and the nurse. Jennifer, in shock, claimed she had never been informed of any treatment requiring needles.
"I didn’t know what would happen next," she confided, still shaken by the moment.
The needle measured about two to three centimeters and had pierced the child’s skin. According to Kavishen Moonnesawmy, initially the staff suggested the needle might have come from a "machine" before admitting it could belong to the hospital. No coherent explanation was provided to the family.
To make matters worse, Kavishen reported that the hospital staff treated them with disdain, referring to them as "little people". He claimed that a pediatrician even threatened to initiate a "main case" against him and his partner, implying negligence on their part. He stated that some staff members suggested that their 12-year-old son could be responsible for the incident. "I don’t do drugs, I just work at home," Kavishen exclaimed, rejecting these absurd insinuations.
The infant was taken to the operating room to have the needle removed. Members of the Aids Unit informed the family about potential risks of contamination, plunging Jennifer and Kavishen into indescribable anxiety. The baby, barely out of his mother’s womb, is now undergoing treatment for HIV, with a follow-up test scheduled in three months. "My children have never undergone HIV treatment, my baby is a newborn and needs to follow HIV treatment," lamented Kavishen.
The Child Development Unit (CDU) has also been involved, a step that the father deems unjustified. "It's not serious that the CDU came to see us," he said, bitter about having his family scrutinized as if they were at fault. To defend his rights, Kavishen filed a complaint with the police on June 21. The needle, seized as evidence, is now under investigation.
According to a health ministry official, an investigation is underway and a report from the hospital is awaited.