Penal family slams slow ambulance as boy ,7, chokes on pholourie

The family of seven-year-old Shazard Mohammed, who died after choking on a pholourie, believes he would be alive if the emergency services had arrived sooner.

On Monday, just after 3 pm, the boy’s mother Sheriffa Shyam bought pholourie, as she usually would, outside the Clarke/Rochard Government Primary School. She said she broke a piece off one, which had sweet sauce on it, and gave it to the child. He began to choke.

She immediately began patting his back, but to no avail. She put her index finger inside his mouth to retrieve the piece of food, but her hand got stuck.

Eventually, Shazard spat it out, but, his mother said, he began to turn blue.The child’s uncle Joie Shyam said froth started coming out of his nose.

Emergency services were contacted and an ambulance took Shazard to the Siparia health facility.

Attempts were made to resuscitate him but he was declared dead just after 4 pm.

Newsday visited the family’s home at Platanite Trace in Penal on Tuesday morning.

Relatives said he was a healthy little boy with no known allergies.

His grandmother, Jennifer Shyam, said they had just returned from the hospital and were waiting to hear the autopsy results from the relatives who had stayed behind.

She said the family had enjoyed a vacation together from February 21-28.

“We had a ball in Tobago. The child enjoyed himself. Come back now and this happen.”

She said pholourie was one of Shazard's favourite foods and he would often ask her or his mother to make it.

“He does say, ‘Girl, ah ready for some pholourie, make some for me, nah,’ and she does make it. He accustomed eating pholourie, it’s not like it was the first time.”

Shazard’s mother had also shared the pholourie with other children who were waiting for their drivers after school.

Both the grandmother and mother stressed that it was a very small piece he was given.

Shazard’s father, Sheriff Mohammed, said his son was a very brilliant boy with a lot of goals. He said he was in disbelief when he found out what had happened.

“My son had a lot of intentions. He told me when he get big, he will do everything, he will go to work – he wanted to be a (heavy equipment) operator, a driver…

“It real hard, it real hard. It sorrowful. It sad, boy. I don’t know where to turn to again.”

He and Sheriffa have been together for ten years and have two children. Their other child is a nine-year-old girl.

Sheriff said the ambulance took approximately an hour to arrive, and he believes his son could have been saved. He said the boy was already dead by the time it arrived.

“They was too slow. They move too slow for my child.

“I had time to leave Corinth and reach down Siparia and my child didn’t come (to the hospital) yet. I take up my child from the ambulance dead.”

Jennifer said a passer-by offered to take the child to the hospital, but the ambulance arrived right after.

“If they did reach early, the child coulda still be alive.”

Several teachers from the boy’s school visited the family on Tuesday morning to offer condolences.

Newsday contacted Health Minister Terrance Deyalsingh for a comment on the ambulance's response time, but he said he is unable to say anything as he has not seen details of the call log.

But he said he is offering his "sincere condolences" to the family.

Shazard, a standard one student, would have been eight in September.

His funeral will be held on Thursday at 12 pm at the family’s home.