Doctor who treated tortured teen acted unprofessionally

Dec 02, 2009 News

– medical council finds

By Michael Jordan

A Guyana Medical Council investigation has found that police surgeon, Dr. Mahandra Chand, acted unprofessionally while treating the tortured teenage boy at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.
Kaieteur News understands that the Council found that Dr. Chand was guilty of not examining his patient properly and of not keeping proper records.
According to a source, the Council informed Dr. Chand in writing last Friday of its findings, and requested that he state why he should not be sanctioned for his conduct.
This newspaper was told that during a recent hearing before the Medical Council, Dr. Chand conceded that he had acted unprofessionally while treating the then 14-year-old lad, whose head was covered with a bag at the time.
The physician had revealed during a Kaieteur News interview that he never sought to ascertain the patient’s identity.
“The Council found that his behaviour was unbecoming of a physician,” a source told Kaieteur News yesterday.
“He admitted that his performance did not measure up to the standards and he’s going to be sanctioned.”
A medical source explained that the Council could give the physician a written sanction, suspend him or even have his medical licence revoked.
Kaieteur News understands that officials at the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation are to be informed of the Council’s findings.
In an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, police surgeon and Government Medical Officer Dr. Mahendra Chand had stated that a police officer had visited his home on October 29 last and asked him to examine a prisoner at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.
Dr. Chand recounted that the prisoner was brought out from the lock-ups with his head concealed.
“His head was covered and I thought that he was just another prisoner in a domestic matter who was brought in with injuries and that the police were trying to conceal his identity. I did not know who I was treating,” Dr. Chand had said.
The doctor said that he examined the prisoner’s injuries, which amounted to first-degree burns and prescribed some antibiotic medication.
He then advised that the prisoner be taken to a hospital for better medical attention.
At no time was he aware that he was treating a juvenile who had suffered torture at the hands of the police.
The physician said that he advised that the prisoner be taken to a hospital. But the police ranks reportedly disregarded his advice and kept the teen in the lockups.
The lad was admitted to hospital on the very day that Kaieteur News published a graphic picture of his injuries.
In responding to criticism from the Guyana Human Rights Assosciation (GHRA) Dr. Chand stated that he “has always treated patients presented to me with care, sensitivity and concern, whether they be ranks from the Guyana Police Force, detainees from the lockups or prisoners.”
Dr. Chand added that he had never knowingly or unknowingly encouraged torture, neither have I ever participated in any cover-up.”