Investigation launched into death of Kenise Darville

The family of Kenise Darville held a press conference on Friday. Photo: Austin Fernander

As of Monday, January 23, 2023

AN investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the death of Kenise Darville, who died days after posting a live video on Facebook about the alleged negligence she experienced at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

On January 11, Ms Darville went live on Facebook in an isolation room located at the Women’s Medical Ward of PMH, detailing her experience at the hospital.

The video went viral and had gained more than 140,000 views up to press time.

However, the mother of three died on January 19 after being admitted two weeks earlier.

The deceased’s husband, Jerad Darville, spoke to The Tribune on Friday and urged people to support the cause for which his wife was fighting.

“Continue to support her and the cause she died fighting for bringing awareness to issues inside the healthcare system,” he said, holding back tears.

The family also held a press conference on Friday where they mourned Ms Darville’s death and said they are seeking answers about what happened.

mandela 1 year, 11 months ago

Call the police for help, someone dies. Go to PMH for help, someone dies, what two beautiful and helpful institutions we have to help our citizens.

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 11 months ago

She was in an isolation ward, did she have COVID? Is the min. Of Health giving us a true picture of what is happening? Was the recent 40 person insurgence at PMH COVID related? If it was and they said nothing they've completely failed us. Their job is not to cover up for good tourism numbers. Its "public" health. I'm going to bet the solution they come up with is no patient can go in with a cellphone

ohdrap4 1 year, 11 months ago

Covid does not bite. I just hope it is not rabies.

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 11 months ago

Ok so I agree with you, I dont believe COVID bites either but from what I understand, while you and I walk around carrying COVID unawares because the threat to the population at large is clearly over (for now at least), there are categories of people for which COVID is extremely deadly, like delta variant when it first showed up deadly, one such category being pregnant women. (I still say we need more data on how this affects Bahsmians)

I dont believe pregnant women are under the same leveff l of threat from the seasonal flu. That being said, if this was COVID, it is a public health matter therefore not a secret or a natiomal security issue to be hidden to protect the country's tourism goose, the public should be informed in clear terms, not an abstract "we had a number of people with "non communicable diseases" flood A&E*"

rosiepi 1 year, 11 months ago

You are absolutely correct. Unfortunately the 44% of the population tooted by this government as vaxx’d have only received one dose, no second round, and no boosters.

Add this to the fact that the data (of case/mortality rates) is completely useless, the HM was able to keep the rates artificially low by refusing to add any cases or deaths not verified by PCR testing.

It didn’t matter how many positive rapid tests the patient underwent, it didn’t matter if the patient subsequently died. My son spent heartbreaking hours on the phone with the HM, Doctors and PMH trying to get his “unverified” employees to hospital in time..
. He got one chopped to FL, but the other poor man succumbed before he got off the island. His death could not be “verified” as Covid.

So I daresay there are families throughout the Commonwealth who would caution those saying Covid doesn’t bite.

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 11 months ago

Had a family member who went through rigors of COVID infection and is today 1 year later still suffering from "weird" biological after effects. Noone diagnosed the after effects as COVID related but they're weird and the only variable change was COVID. I dont think COVID bites but I dont want it and try to wear a mask in crowded environments

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 11 months ago

And you may have missed it but I repeated at COVID's peak that it was only affecting 0.05% of the population . I was against universal vaccination. My cry was then and still is more clarity on who were these 0.05% and why.

Cobalt 1 year, 11 months ago

Sad case indeed. Condolence to the family. But haven’t we seen this scenario play-out before? We are all aware of the lack of compassion, competence, and patient care that exist at the PMH. But the fact remains; what Mrs. Darville experienced is what most people living in this country experience on a daily basis. And these experiences are not always necessarily confined to the walls of the PMH….. actually, they exist everywhere in this country. Culturally speaking, Bahamian people simply don’t give good customer service. In the Bahamas there exist a culture of incompetence, greed, apathy, carelessness, vulgarity, heartlessness, laziness, entitlement, dishonesty, and just plain stupidity. Undoubtably, these traits seems to be the staple ingredient in the recipe of moral and social erosion that we consume everyday.

Sad to say, nothing will change. Just more talk, fingerpointing, carelessness, clamoring, lack of accountability and lies.

bahamianson 1 year, 11 months ago

Nailed it, cobalt. Pmh is a disgrace. It is like all the other governmental agencies. All of those adjectives you mentioned describes pmh and all others. Whenever I walk into a governmental agency, I shutter. Who is late? Who is not at their desk? Who is on vacation? Who is out to lunch at this time? My condolences to the lady and her family. Pmh , you'll need a.raise. you'll always need a.raise. ya to damn greedy. Do some work for a change.

TalRussell 1 year, 11 months ago

Does The Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) have its challenges and complexities'?

Very much so but despite the taxing burdens and complexities' that come with being the colony's **premier lifeblood"" to inpatient, outpatient and emergency care.

The PMH is far removed from deceiving being described as a health care failure and most certainly is no disgrace.

Fact is some the same doctors providing doctor care at The Doctors; Hospital come from the PMH, excepting they're paid King's ransom more.in their private hospital's paycheques, ---- Yes?

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 11 months ago

It is a mystery.

But just because the a doctor works in both places, it doesnt mean that doctor will treat you or that they will give you the respect they give a client at the more prestigious hospital. We're all human and subject to biases.

You also have a greater risk of being exposed to treatment by an unsupervised intern. I recall a personal experience with a family member being giving a diagnosis by a doctor at that hospital, when I relayed the information to an individual with knowledge their response was that's complete nonsense. It turns out the doctor had no clue of the correct diagnosis that simply required a course of antibiotics but was deadly if untreated. They treated the symptoms but did no analysis to understand, and literally had no knowledge of the cause. When told the cause they said "that's not it". And they spoke with authority, that's where the danger is. Me and you with no medical training dont know the difference

The problem is PMH has too many lay people being exposed to bad advice with no expert supervision. I was told years ago that if babies were dying at the rate that adults were, alarm bells would be going off but when an adult dies, especially someone over 60 we tend to say it was their time, we dont question/examine if anything unusual happened with the treatment

And I was told by another prominent physician at the prestigious hospital, "dont trust everybody in a white coat, here or abroad"

TalRussell 1 year, 11 months ago

@ComradeThisIsOurs, it requires even more time for The Colony to fully evolve from a plantation colony.

But not that the PMH wasn't provided with sufficient capital to make a go of it, ---- Yes?

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 11 months ago

Yes they have enough money, but its useless without a country strategy. I recently found out that President Xi is a biiiigggg sports fan and promotes national fitness. If our people were fit, PMH wouldnt have as many challenges. But we have no strategy for "fit". We just jumped up and down because another fast food joint with processed fats and sugars is opening and will employ 600 people. Good for people with jobs but does it fit our strategy? Maybe, cuz we dont have one...

The other non-money element is standards. If there were standards "dangerous" doctors could be identified more easily

munchie 1 year, 11 months ago

I am beginning to think that if you have Covid and you go to these hospital , you will not get the care that you deserved . Just this week I met a tourist who said she was bleeding on ship for 4 dys . Ship landed in Nassau but when she went to PMH , she was told $20,000 for the D and C . She was Covid positive and received no treatment . She also has insurance . She has to sail to another country .

This is sad , just saying

ohdrap4 1 year, 11 months ago

It is a mystery.

But just because the a doctor works in both places, it doesnt mean that doctor will treat you or that they will give you the respect they give a client at the more prestigious hospital.

Honestly, not necessarily. I have received poor treatment at the same PMH level in expensive private venues, which I am quick to drop.

In fact, I might choose PMH because, if I have to be subjected to shoddy treatment, let it at least be less expensive.

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 11 months ago

True! I also said I was told dont trust someone just because theyre in a white coat, here or in the US which I guess would qualify as "more prestigious"

TalRussell 1 year, 11 months ago

I know for fact going back a few years, PMH emergency response teams were staffed by volunteers,

A dear friend family for many years would use all his workplace vacation leave to Volunteer as a PMH Ambulance Driver,

I believe it is still the case that PMH's Emergency Team are Volunteers'.

Some do more than yap, --- Yes??

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 11 months ago

We need to identify causes. Maybe volunteers don't address the cause.

jackbnimble 1 year, 11 months ago

I feel saddened to read this story, but having been admitted to PMH over 30 years ago, all I can say is that NOTHING has changed. The same uncaring attitude appears to persist all these years later. Even all those years back I can recall how cold and callus the nurses were during my month-long stay at PMH. The kindest persons to me were a nurse who was a family friend who worked the ward I stayed on and a nurse's aide who changed my bed pan and read scriptures to me (may God forever bless them both).

I pray Mrs. Darville's family gets restitution. It may not bring her back, but it will call the necessary attention to that God-forsaken place they call a hospital.

May her death not be in vain and may her soul truly rest in peace.

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