Health Ministry agrees to hand over Burkie's medical records

THE Health Ministry has agreed to hand over medical records and preserve the body of Sea Lots businessman Cedric "Burkie" Burke after his relatives threatened to sue the State on Saturday.

In a response to the family who sent a pre action protocol letter on Saturday, the ministry said once Felicia Samuel can prove she is Burke's next of kin, they will hand over the relevant documents.

"The ministry has no objection to the disclosure of a copy of the medical records relating to the deceased since his admission to hospital up to his death" the response stated.

Burke was admitted to the Port of Spain General Hospital on September 9. He was later transfered to the Arima Hospital and then Couva Hospital where he died on September 11.

The letter continued: "The Ministry of Health has no objection to the preservation of the body of the deceased pending your client's solicitation of expert medical advice/confirmation as to the medical condition of her husband and his cause of death."

Samuel is represented by attorneys Richard Clarke-Wills, Lemuel Murphy and Chelsea John. The attorneys wrote Health Minister Terence Deyalsingh, as well as Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram, asking for the record of Burke's treatment from the time he was admitted to hospital up to his death. The lawyers said this would "allow the family to have an independent autopsy conducted in the absence of confirmation that the deceased in fact died from covid19 or complications related thereto.”

The letter said Burke told Clarke-Wills that he was “administered something” which made him uneasy.

“I am further instructed that Mr Burke had a conversation with his business partner around 9 am wherein Mr Burke indicated to him that he felt numb as a result of something that was administered to him. The aforementioned raises suspicion as to the cause of death.

"In the circumstances, our client is not satisfied that the cause of death of her husband is in fact due to covid19 and or covid19-related complications.”

The letter added that while Burke was told he was covid19-positive, he was not given any documentation to confirm this.

The Health Ministry has stopped autopsies for anyone who died from covid19 as it is against best practice.