UAE | General

What happened to Nathan and Chelsea? Questions remain unanswered

'Housemaid who did not eat restaurant food was also treated for food poisoning'.

  • By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter, and Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:07 June 21, 2009
  • Gulf News

  • The mother of Nathan (right) and Chelsea (left) ordered take-away from Lotus Garden restaurant in Al Qusais over the weekend. The children fell ill.
  • Image Credit: Supplied photo

Dubai: A week has passed since the D'Souza children died, but important questions remain unanswered.

Nathan and Chelsea's mother Ann-Sophie ordered take-away from Lotus Garden restaurant in Al Qusais over the weekend. The children fell ill and Ann-Sophie took them to NMC Hospital where they were treated and discharged.
When things got worse, she brought them back to the hospital, where Nathan died. She and Chelsea were transferred to Dubai Hospital, where the daughter died.

A source, who has seen an initial official report, said it brings the authorities no closer to knowing the cause of the deaths.

Sources said many factors are taken into consideration while investigating suspected food poisoning cases. They include a three-day history of food intake, the place from where the food was bought and if the food was bought from a restaurant, efforts are made to contact the maximum number of people who had eaten the same food on the same day. Vomit, stool, urine and blood samples are also taken.

"In this particular case about 40 people who had food on the same day from the restaurant were contacted with the help of their credit card details. They were asked whether they had suffered from food poisoning. The restaurant had made about Dh25,000 that particular day. Also, the housemaid who did not eat the restaurant food was also treated for food poisoning along with the mother and the two children. The authorities have to look at this before arriving at a conclusion," said the source.

Gulf News learnt that an autopsy was conducted yesterday. A specialist in infectious diseases said under such circumstances an autopsy should be done immediately.

Dr Naba Mazen, another specialist in infectious diseases, said an autopsy will not show the cause of the death, but you get hints when the muscles and nervous system is examined. He said a suspected food poisoning case shows symptoms after three to six hours and even 36 hours in the case of certain toxins.

He said if the patient has shallow breathing and acidosis (the symptoms of which are nausea and vomiting), he/she should be put under observation and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) kept on standby.

Patrick D'Souza, the children's father, said he was confident the authorities will "take appropriate action" and make sure "this does not happen to other children."

He told Gulf News police asked him for some clarifications yesterday. He said he feels that the autopsy results will be out today.

Asked whether he and his wife plan to sue either the hospital or the restaurant, he said, "We are not concerned about that." He reiterated that he has left it in the hands of the authorities.

Patrick had earlier called for justice after he lost both his children, Nathan (5) and Chelsea (7). He was away in Abu Dhabi when the tragic events unfolded in his house. The restaurant has since shut down pending probe.

Patrick said from the feedback he is receiving, Dubai hospitals do not seem properly equipped to deal with such cases. "The questions I am being asked is why the toxins were not flushed out, and why my children were not kept under observation."

Sources close to the investigations said police are still not sure what caused the death of the children and the investigations have been widened.

A Gulf News reader, Rasheed Waheed, said he does not feel safe eating out anymore. "I was taken aback what the hospital and the authorities have done. Why are things under wraps still," he said. "It shows that there are gaps in the food industry and hospitals," he said.


Your comments


Sad, coz I rightly remember a similar incident happening years ago with my two children in Dubai. Food poisoning was taken very lightly by NMC and they too were discharged with antibiotics. They did not get better so we stopped the antibiotic after two doses and took them once again to the hospital where we had to plead for them to be admitted and this was done with much reluctance by the hospital. Sorry to hear about this incident, my heart goes out to the parents. The healthcare system could do with some changes/improvements, perhaps a central board to where complaints can be sent. Atleast this will make the healthcare professionals more aware.
Lisa
Toronto,Canada
Posted: June 22, 2009, 17:29

I was treated at NMC for bronchitits about 6 months ago. I had made several visits to the hospital within a 2 day period and was given medication and a shot, then sent home by the ER Doctor. Thanks to God, I wised up and went to another Hospital, where the doctor knew right away that my current medication for the treatment of BP was prolonging the bronchitis. Because of my Insurance, I choose to use NMC to avoid the 20% charges that i would endure at the other Hospital. But, now. hearing about this case and my own personal experience, money is no object when it comes to my health. NMC needs to re-evaluate the hiring practices of their physicians.
Marian Lynch
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 17:02

I dont blame the Restaurant - as almost every Saturday, we have food from Lotus Garden. What surprises me is the Hospital - I have been here too a no. of times and this is not the first case of the hospital. NMC should be looked at seriously for their negligence and I hope the health authorities take this up seriously.
L. Pereira
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 16:52

The reality of the whole matter is that the future of two little angels has been unfairly put to end due to the fault of someone. There's no point in assuming and slinging mud to make blame stick. The fact of the matter is that the responsible party be exposed, whether it's the restaurant, hospitals or the very home they dwelled in where for some bad stroke of luck there was contaminated food. I live very close to this restaurant and have had food from there on a regular basis and was shocked to hear the news. We cannot arrive at a conclusion until we know all the facts. Hats off to Gulf News for following through on the story. I look forward to discovering the findings of the authorities. And yes in agreement with all the comments of the readers; most restaurants require spot checks if hygiene is to be maintained in eateries across Dubai. However, taking into consideration most countries, I think Dubai in particular does a very good job of keeping things clean.
Jennifer Grebe
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 16:13

I'm not sure if the investigations would take so long in such a critical case in order to define the cause of death, but what I'm sure of is that the hospital HAS big responsiblity for the loss of two innocent souls. The children could have been kept for further observation. I hope the Dubai police will settle this case very soon.
Aouni
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 16:11

My heart feels totally painful whenever I think of little Chelsea and Nathan ,I feel we should really get serious about our eating habits and stop blaming restaurants ,Hotel industry is Hotel Industry .We must inculcate healthy eating habits for our kids and try to cook them fresh home food ,About the Hospitals ,It is very sad they discharged the little angels ,they should have kept them under observation for maximum of 7 to 8 hrs ,authorities should take serious action.
Rachel Winston
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 15:33

My heartfelt condolences to Patrick and Ann. Nothing in the universe is replaceable to what they have lost. People with kids should make themselves more vigilant on general hygenie and the hospitals should understand that they would be jobless on the streets if they do not get patients and the authorities at the hospital should be bought to task for under performance. Why do they take an oath on their doctorate when they cannot perform what God has entrusted on them.
Manju Pillai
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 14:37

What concerns me most is the negligicy of Hospital and Doctors. How come the children were discharched if they were having food poisoining symptoms? I am not pointing on resturant as this may be the case anywhere but a real question is are we safe in this place if doctors/hospitals are not able to treat us properly? I would ask authorities to please cross-check license of each doctors and monitor if they are not able to treat properly and are here only for the sake of MONEY!
Gaurav Mittal
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 14:18

I cannot digest the fact that two children died because of food poisioning and that too after they were taken to the Hospital. The cause of food poisioning may not be clear and may be the Restaurant is not at fault, But the hospital which treated them and discharged is definately at fault. Leave alone Food poisioning cases but serious poisioning cases are treated and lives are saved. Its really a shame if Doctors are at fault.I am sure that the authorities will take some serious action/measures against the Doctors and the Hospital.
Kiran
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 14:12

It is rather strange that the investigation is taking this long. UAE is very quick and efficient in bringing violators to justice and solving mysteries, but in this case, it has taken long.
Sam Joy
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 13:51

I am really pleased to see the authorities are being thorough with the investigation, like checking with the other diners as well. Given that the maid also suffered from food poisoning despite not eating the food from the resturant; I sincerely hope the authorities closely investigate the actions or the NMC hospital! Especially in what what they didn't do, I feel they are the most culpable in this sad affair. Personally, I intend to give them a wide berth.
Ben
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 13:07

i hope the police investigations and as well as the autopsy findings will tell us what really went on Nathan and Chelsea, and also for all of us to know how to be cautious in all of the foods we are eating, good Gulf news keeps on following this story
Mavi Tumandao
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 13:03

Our heart goes out to the family, who have lost these lovely kids. It is the resposibilty of the hospital to ensure proper medication
Sam
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 12:59

I too have same aged kids and seeing Chelsea and Nathan - I have no words to say. The hospital should be blamed for this. Whats the point in having such hospitals around if the doctors are not able to find the problem. Knowing the condition of the children - why did they not keep the children under observation. We talking about life here of two small children. They could have escaped - THE HOSPITAL SHOULD BE SUED!!!!!!!
Mariam
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 12:56

Why is this taking so long.What are the authorities doing??? Is there something more to all this? Now the maid has come in the picture.
Derek
On,Canada
Posted: June 22, 2009, 12:53

Only the parents who have raised their children can understand the pain. I agree with above comment, it might not be restaurant but could be anyother thing, or a possibility that the food was not used right away taken but stored somewhere before eaten.
Mansoor Ahmad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 12:50

Please give them justice I have normally eat in lotus garden .I believe that the hygienic in this restaurant is well maintained .if I say about nmc .the name is big and the activities very poor .this is my personal experience . be aware
Ajith Shetty
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 12:49

I personally have suffered from three cases of "food poisoning" in the past two years. I believe restaurants and staff are preparing food too quickly and not paying enough attention to hygiene. I also believe that some staff are letting out their frustration on their bosses by practicing poor hygiene. If people really were dedicated to their jobs and their role in keeping the world safe, we would never be in this problem. Life is not like that. What I am frustrated with is the fact that restaurants always blame the customer first and don't believe them, until the restaurant is in the news / being investigated / shutdown.
Um Alya
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 12:41

It is not fair to immediately pinpoint the restaurant because only one meal the family might have ordered from them. Food poisoning will take place depending on the kinds of foods eaten that may take effect after 3 days. The family must cooperate and tell exactly all the food or any drinks intakes for the last three days to have a more concrete conclusion. Public must not easily be scared to get foods from the restauarnts because i believe the authorities are very good in controlling high food hygiens in most of all the food establishment in Dubai.
Nina R.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 12:37

What concerns me is that still everyone has already condemned the restaurant which probably will close and send home several honest workers while we learn from this article that the maid was also treated for food poisoning and she did not eat the restaurant's food. No other customer that day experienced food poisoning symptoms, yet everyone's still concentrated on the restaurant. The real issue in my opinion is that food poisoning may occur also due to our in-house badly conserved food and what amazes me is that a hospital instead of keeping those children for observation (probabably they would have been still alive today if this happened) sent them home without any treatment. This is I believe the real shame of the whole story.
N. Siotto
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 11:09

The hospital should have kept all of them under observation until completely sure that all is ok this would have saved their lives for sure since immdeiate medication would have been given, but they sent them back home which caused a huge delay in treatment. The hospital should be sued as well its their fault more than anything.
Charmaine
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 10:26

It's high time the health authorities make frequent visits to restaurants to check for hygiene
Rajiv Krishnan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 10:21

Everytime I see articles about Nathan and Chelsea, My heart feels crushed. I hope the authorities will find justice for them and prevent future incidents to happen again. These angels doesn't deserve such thing.
Theo
Ras Al Khaimah,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 10:17

What surprises me is why is the investigation taking this long?
Shaila Pinto
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 22, 2009, 10:08

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