15/07/2021
MAY THEY ALL REST IN PEACE đ˘đ˘
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Dead On Arrival, Families Of Deceased COVID-19 Cases Tell
By Ivamere Nataro (FS)
15/07/2021
Family members of the late Adriu Kaubale are still reeling from the death of their father.
Mr Kaubale passed away around 1:05am last Saturday, July 03 at his home in Naikurukuru settlement, Lami Village..
He was declared dead on arrival (DOA) by the attending medical officer at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) emergency department.
Mr Kaubale was 53 years old. Like similar cases, permanent secretary for Health Dr James Fong had announced Mr Kaubaleâs death as a COVID-19 death..
But relatives of these deceased are disputing severe COVID symptoms as the cause of death.
For years, Mr Kaubale had been living with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hypertension, and a failing kidney..
Mr Kaubaleâs eldest daughter, Raijeli Tuinavitilevu said his father did not display any severe COVID illness symptoms.
âIf he was positive, why havenât the medical teams visited us, to let us know to isolate at home,â she said.
When Shine a Light visited the settlement, two neighbouring houses were cordoned off.
They were primary contacts of COVID-19 positive cases.
It was different for Mr Kaubaleâs family. There was no yellow tape to cordon their home or officials to come by and swab them. Instead, they freely went about preparations to bury their father.
Mr Kaubaleâs colleagues had arrived to build a shed.
The father of six was employed as a driver for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport warehouse in Walu Bay.
He and his son were the breadwinners for the family.
In this weekendâs Shine A Light, we focus on patients who were declared dead on arrival at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital and later tested positive for COVID-19.
Most of them only have access to public health services.
Their families claim they were not instructed by the COVID-19 response team to isolate after the deceased was declared COVID-19 positive.
Shine A Light reached out to four families who recently lost a loved one either at home or on their way to the hospital.
These families questioned the capacity of our health system, its protocols and procedures for swabbing the deceased.
They claim there was no timely response from health workers and Police to attend to their emergency calls.
These families maintain that their deceased relative had passed away because of underlying medical conditions â not COVID-19.
Questions sent to the Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, Dr James Fong and line minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete remained unanswered when this edition went to press.
Questions were also sent to Police spokeswoman Savaira Tabua, but they also remain unanswered.
Here are their stories......
1. ADRIU KAUBALE
Mr Kaubale fell sick a week before his passing away. It was Wednesday, June 30, 202.
He knocked off early from work and went to Bayly Clinic in Suva. He normally went there for his medical review.
Because he suffered from hypoglycemia, he often displayed symptoms of dizziness, shaking of hands and feet, sweating (cold sweat) and lightheadedness.
He was swabbed at the Bayly Clinic. His results came out negative. He also dropped his sick sheet at work on the same day.
That was the last time he set foot at his workplace.
The following day, (Thursday, July 1, 2021), he phoned his workplace to say that he needed more time to rest.
Mr Kaubale spent at least a week with his family before his demise.
His daughter, Ms Tuinavitilevu was emotional as she described the life of his father. Mr Kaubale was advised by his family to visit the hospital. But he refused.
âHe knew if he had gone to the hospital he would be treated as a COVID-19 case,â Ms Tuinavitilevu said.
He peacefully passed away at 1:05am on Saturday, July 03, 2021 at his home, Nairukuruku settlement, Lami Village.
Ms Tuinavitilevu is adamant that her father did not die of COVID-19. Mr Kaubale consumed alcohol, particularly hard liquor, but never smoked.
He was on medication. Ms Tuinavitilevu recalled that they should have been more cautious and should have checked her fatherâs sugar intake.
In his daily COVID-19 update on Monday July 05, 2021, Dr Fong said Mr Kaubaleâs âfamily reported that the individual had been unwell for at least a week with fever, headache and generalised weakness. He was not vaccinated.â
Mr Kaubaleâs death certificate states he died of severe COVID illness.
âThis is not true,â another daughter, Matelita Jane said.
âMy dad gets constant headaches all the time, it was normal.
Test result was all verbal. Whereâs the proof that he was positive, show us his results.
âThey are saying he has COVID-19, but then we are told not to isolate.â
EMERGENCY SERVICES
A Police team arrived around 3:30am on Saturday, more than two hours after the death of Mr Kaubale.
Prior to that, all emergency numbers dialed by his family members, including the 917 line.
All were unavailable.
They were referred to the Lami Police Station. Still there was no response.
Even an ambulance was unavailable, the family claimed.
Ms Tuinavitilevu said around 2:30am, her uncle went to look for help.
Police then arrived later.
The family left home after 4am, and arrived at the CWM Hospital emergency department at 4:15am.
Mr Kaubale was swabbed as per the emergency department protocol. At 4:20am, his body was placed in the morgue.
Ms Tuinavitilevu said they were informed of her fatherâs positive result on Sunday morning at around 9 oâclock.
Mr Kaubale was from Somosomo, Taveuni.
He is survived by his wife, six children and five grandchildren.
2. SAIASI SULINIBAU BABITU
Saiasi Sulinibau Babitu was 60 years old when he died at his home in Lami Village on Wednesday, June 30 2021.
He had diabetes and kidney disease. He was admitted to hospital early this year for his medical condition.
Dr Fong had announced Mr Babituâs death as a COVID-19 death. But his youngest sister, Vaciseva Babitu is questioning the cause of death.
His death certificate said he died from cardio respiratory disease, because of severe COVID illness and hypertension.
âHe never showed any symptoms of COVID-19. It was just his medical condition, his body just gave up, the aging process just took place,â she said.
No medical team has since visited the residence since the death of Mr Babitu.
The family was not advised to isolate, Ms Babitu claimed.
They were never swabbed.
âThe medical people kept saying that he suffered from a severe COVID-19 illness, but none of us is sick.â
Mr Babitu was not bedridden.
He was a retired security guard at Lami High School.
Ms Babitu said her brother never left the house during the second wave of outbreak that began in April.
He normally gets his medication from the Lami Health Centre.
She had looked after her brother for more than 10 years.
Mr Babitu was the eldest of seven siblings.
He was from Serua Island.
The day of his passing away Mr Babitu had collapsed in his home at around 9am.
But he was still alive.
He had gone for his shower that morning.
It was cold and his breathing started to change.
He passed away at 3:30pm.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Prior to the time of his death, there was no response to any emergency calls from the family.
One of his brothersâ had tried to get medical staff from the Lami Health Centre to swab Mr Babitu.
âBut they didnât have enough staff, so none of their staff could come up,â Ms Babitu said.
âI kept calling all emergency numbers if someone could at least come and transport him down, because heâs heavy, I even tried the ambulance.â
The family had to wait for close to two hours for the Police or medical professionals.
âAnd then I managed to talk to a doctor at the Lami Health Centre at around 5pm, they said they were going to come and swab him.â
But no one did.
Ms Babitu said there was lack of coordination between Police and health workers.
Police are the first responders to document someoneâs death at home.
Transporting Mr Babituâs body was also a challenge.
A family member volunteered the use of his work vehicle to transport Mr Babitu to the Lami Health Centre.
He was then swabbed at the back of the carrier by an on-duty doctor.
âWe never saw any result of the SWAB given to the family. They didnât even call us to inform us he was positive,â Ms Babitu said.
The death certificate received on Saturday morning (two days after Mr Babituâs death) indicated he was positive.
Ms Babitu said they were also not informed of the new procedures at the morgue.
The family had retrieved Mr Babituâs body on Monday July 05, 2021. But upon arrival, they were told to contact a health inspector who supervises COVID funerals.
Only four people are allowed inside the morgue.
Health inspectors are to be present to provide personÂal protective equipment.
âWe got the body out around 1pm after the health inspectors had completed supervising a funeral earlier in the da,â Ms Babitu said.
The long wait for a response from the medical staff also incurred cost for the family.
âWe were waiting for his death certificate because we wanted to take out his body and bury him earÂlie1: I didnât pay what they charged, it was more than $200 and I gave them $141.â
Ms Babitu claimed that medical staff were not being transparent.
âWhat is going on with these COVÂID cases?â
âAre they just collecting data on COVID deaths?â
âWe were exÂpecting some of them to come and isolate us, but they havenât.â
3. ALANIA JOANA RAKALEBA
On Sunday (04/07) Dr Fong had announced the death of a 93-yearÂold woman of Matata, Valenicina, Lami.
She was Alania Joana Rakaleba.
She is from the Solomon Islands with maternal links to Lau.
She died at her home on Friday July 02, 2021 between 8pm to 9pm.
Police had transported her body to the CWM Hospital.
Ms Rakaleba sufered from gout for about seven years. She was bedridden and on medication.
Her family helped her to the Lami Health Centre or CWM Hospital for medical review.
Her health only deteriorated a few weeks ago. Her eldest grandson NiÂumaia Rakaleba said she was also aging.
âShe didnât display any COVID symptoms, except that she would normally cough,â he said.
The family were to complete their 14-day quarantine on Thursday. Their house was cordoned off.
But a family member, in her 40s, had also tested positive. She was self-isolating in their home.
About four families in Matata settlement are living with COVID patients.
Their homes were also cordoned off.
The late Ms Rakaleba and her family were swabbed on Monday June 21, 2021.
They received their results two days later.
âBut no one in our family disÂplayed any COVID-19 symptoms,â Mr Rakaleba said.
She was already at home for anÂother week when she passed away.
âEleven of us family members were all swabbed, and then we were told on Wednesday that we were positive,â Mr Rakaleba said.
No other medical team has visitÂed the area.
The late Ms Rakaleba was a babysitter for the Lobendahn family for about 40 years.
She is survived by her seven chilÂdren, 25 grandchildren, and 15 great grandchildren.
She was not vaccinated.
Mr Rakaleba has received his first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine.
4. AMELIA BUKAYARA
Amelia Bukayara was to turn 34 years old in November.
She had suffered from type 1 hypertension.
Dr Fong announced she was a COVID-19 death.
She passed away on Friday, June 25 at her home in Veiraisi, Nadawa.
Her husband Rupenj Camini had just left for work at around 6am that fateful morning.
Heâs the asÂsistant supervisor (produce deÂpartment) at NewWorld Valelevu.
Ms Bukayara was swabbed at the CWM Hospital emergency departÂment, where she was confirmed COVID-19 positive.
But Mr Camini insisted that his wife never displayed any sympÂtoms of COVID.
She would constantly experience headaches because of her underlyÂing medical condition.
She was last admitted at hospital three years ago because of pneumonia.
And like the other two families, they were never advised by health frontliners to isolate.
CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO DEATH
The day before her passing, Ms Bukayara was selling her produce at her market stall outside Nayans Supermarket in Nadera.
Mr Camini recalled she followed him home when he knocked off work that Wednesday around 4pm.
He had bought their dinner and asked his wife to cook, unaware of his wifeâs constant headache.
Mr Camini only noticed his wifeâs sudden silence when he couldnât hear her in the kitchen.
Ms Bukayara was in the room and unable to handle the pain.
Massage and panadol didnât bring relief.
Around 11pm, her father, a church pastor, came to pray over her.
But Ms Bukayaraâs headache only worsened.
At around lam, Mr Camini was awoken by his wife crying for help.
Thls time, she also started to vomit.
âI knew something was wrong, but she kept saying that it was just because of her headache,â Mr Camini said.
This occurred again around 5.10 am.
It was Mr Caminiâs plan to skip work that morning, but his wife inÂsisted that he went.
Ms Bukayaraâs last words were to her eldest daughter in Year 8.
ââIâm taking the lead, everything I own belongs to youâ,â Mr Camini recalled his wife saying.
Mr Camilli only received the news of her demise during his morning tea break at work. Police were alÂready at the residence to relay the news.
SERVICES
The family were never informed to isolate.
âI told the medical staff that if she tested positive, what about us and what about our two children. They swabbed us adults, but not our children,â Mr Camini said.
He said services and procedures at the mortuary needed to be comÂmunicated to relatives of the deÂceased.
âWe were notified to take the body between 5am and 6am on WednesÂday June 30, 2021 for burial at NasÂinu cemetery,â he said.
âBut when we reached the morgue, there was no date and time logged to retrieve the body. It was raining and we were told to return at 10am, so we came home.â
Ms Bukayaraâs body was finally put into a body bag after 12pm.
She was from Navuniivi, Ra.
She is survived by her husband and two children â a daughter in Year 8 and a son in Year 3.
