Grandmother Blames Polyclinic For Kaleel’s Death

“I feel that the polyclinic has a lot to do with it because if they saw that my boy was not well, they should have called the plane or the ambulance,” said Teresa Garcia, the grandmother of two-year-old Kaleel Nah.

Kaleel died with signs of dehydration last Wednesday while his family sought emergency care. Despite two visits to the local clinic, his condition worsened.

On September 3, his parents tried to rush him to Belize City by water taxi, which was the only means available since the family was not provided with emergency means of transportation.

By Tuesday, his condition had deteriorated further, and doctors referred him to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital without classifying the case as an emergency.

By that time, Teresa said, “The child was no longer well. The child was purple.”

“Why did the polyclinic not call the plane to Belize?” she questioned.

Baby Kaleel’s mother, Virgen Garcia, said he collapsed on the water taxi before even reaching Caye Caulker. Strangers attempted to help when the boat stopped in Caye Caulker, but it was too late.

“I feel like the system failed me,” Virgen told News 5.

“I think that that same night, they should have flown my little boy to Belize,” Teresa added.

Since the death of baby Kaleel, Abner Bacab, a representative of Island Emergency Services, said the case exposes serious gaps in healthcare for island and rural communities.

News 5 reached out to the Health and Wellness Minister Kevin Bernard, who directed us to the Director of Hospital Services and Allied Health, Dr Jorge Polanco. 

Dr Polanco told News 5 that he is currently “on leave and out of the country.”

Meanwhile, the post-mortem results are still pending. Dr Polanco said that “reports are still being gathered.”