The Tribune

FNM MP Dr Andre Rollins accused the government yesterday of fighting a grieving mother in court over her newborn daughter’s death while quietly paying millions of dollars to settle lawsuits brought by prominent figures.

Dr Rollins, the MP for Long Island, accused the government of double standards in protecting the public purse during a clash with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell in the House of Assembly.

“This administration has paid millions of dollars to high-ranking complainants before allowing the courts to determine the merit of their complaints, and the Attorney General has the discretion to do that,” Dr Rollins said. “But we have the right as the Bahamian people to know exactly what was done on our behalf, with our money.”

He accused the government of staying completely silent about how much those people received while making what appeared to be an arbitrary decision to appeal in the case of the newborn’s death.

“The question is, why is it that we should believe that the role the current attorney general’s law office played in those other settlements had nothing to do with the decision to settle, as opposed to litigate,” he said.

Mr Mitchell rejected any suggestion that the government was trying to block the mother’s pursuit of compensation, saying the appeal was a defence of the public interest.

The exchange came during debate on the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The Tribune reported on Monday that the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) had appealed a ruling that found Princess Margaret Hospital negligent in the death of Elizabeth Lundy, who was just over two hours old when she died on August 2, 2022. The appeal was filed despite an earlier assurance from the authority’s then-managing director, Aubynette Rolle, that the PHA did not intend to challenge the judgment or prolong the family’s ordeal.

In July, acting Justice Raynard Rigby, KC, ruled in favour of the baby’s mother, Widline Guillaume, finding that the hospital and consultant obstetrician Dr Agatha Foulkes-Mackey left mother and baby unmonitored for 27 minutes while waiting for the result of a COVID-19 test before an emergency caesarean section, and that the lapse caused Elizabeth’s fatal injury.

The PHA and Dr Foulkes-Mackey filed separate appeals on September 8. The PHA, represented by the Office of the Attorney General, is challenging the finding that the monitoring lapse caused the baby’s injury. Dr Foulkes-Mackey, represented by private counsel, is challenging the finding that she was personally liable.

Dr Rollins questioned why the Attorney General’s Office was involved when the doctor had her own lawyers. Mr Mitchell said the finding of personal liability against the doctor raised questions of public interest.

“My general point is it is unfair to suggest that the government or the Attorney General is in any way seeking to deny, suppress, whatever those words are, people’s rights,” Mr Mitchell said.

Dr Rollins accepted that the PHA had a legal interest in the appeal, but asked why the government had not shown the same determination to protect public funds in claims brought by prominent figures.

“These matters were not ventilated in our courts. It was determined that it was in the best interest of our country to quietly deal with these matters,” he said.

He asked how the government decides when to settle a claim rather than fight it in court, which he said is very costly.

On Monday, Mr Munroe told The Tribune he did not know why health officials had promised not to appeal, and that every case referred to his office is reviewed to decide whether to fight or settle.

“If it’s determined that we have no case, our policy now is to engage with people to settle them,” he said. “But if we have a case, then we go ahead and have the matter litigated if it can’t be settled.”

No date has been set for the appeals to be heard.