Wakapoa boy, 6, dies after scorpion sting

A six-year-old boy of Wakapoa, Lower Pomeroon, died on Friday, hours after he was stung by a scorpion. But, family members believe if the local doctor had acted swiftly the boy could have been saved.

Dead is Jeff Boyan. He was the youngest of five children.

His mother, Jennifer Richards told the News Room that he was stung at about 21:00hrs on Thursday. The mother said she contacted the local doctor, who reportedly told her to observe him.

“Soon as it sting he, I called the health centre and [the doctor] tell me to watch he and see how he would react and it take an hour for he to start vomit and he body start to stiffen up.”

After the young boy started vomiting blood, his parents ran with him to the Wakapoa Health Centre located about a mile away from their home.

There he was treated and sent home at about 23:30hrs, but his condition only worsened so his mother said she again called the doctor.

“She [the doctor] said to take him to Charity.

“We hadn’t good light and so we take our time to go out, it was a 75 HP (boat) and his daddy couldn’t drive fast because we hadn’t proper light, so we reach to Charity around 6 in the morning [Friday],” Richards explained.

The young lad was taken to the Charity Hospital and later transferred to the Suddie Public Hospital where he succumbed.

Before he died, Richards said her son told her: ‘Mommy don’t leave me’, but instead he left me,” the tearful woman said.

“I wake this morning without my baby. It is not easy; it is hard,” she added.

Richards is contending that had the doctor acted sooner, her son would still be alive.

“Them doctors taking too long to send the patients out because this happened to a big man recently and he said he went to the health centre at 3pm and they sent him out till 9pm,” Richards stated.