Latest update December 13th, 2024 1:00 AM
Diabetic patients complain of frustration at GPHC
Patients lined up to visit the doctor at the diabetic clinic.
Patients of the Diabetic Clinic at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) are claiming that they are being made to suffer even further by the prolonged waiting periods. They also have a problem with the lack of proper waiting areas.
According to some of the patients who spoke to this newspaper and requested anonymity for fear of victimisation, the administration of the hospital would tell patients that they would have to reach before 07:00 hours every Wednesday for their respective clinic dates, and the stress of waiting almost an entire day to visit the doctor is frustrating.
One woman said that some persons are very old and can hardly walk, while some are semi or totally blind and are escorted by their relatives to the hospital.
She related the relatives of very sick persons would eventually sit with them for hours and “when patients who are registered with the clinic eventually turn up the seats are all filled and there is nowhere to sit.”
“Sometimes the doctor won’t come until noon or one o’clock and people would be sitting and sweating with only two fans; some time patients would fight to be in front the fan!” Another patient disclosed that on many occasions, “when you reach before seven patients are already there sleeping on the benches since the night before, because they have come from far and want to see the doctor early.”
One patient underscored that there is always a long line to reach the nurse to receive another clinic date, and “when we finish there is another line at the dispensary to collect prescriptions and if we are to collect the special tablet for pressure, we have to form another long line to sign for that tablet, I don’t know if they does thief it make we got to sign.”
Another woman said there needs to be more doctors assigned to the clinic since the entire day is finished at the hospital. “We leave here drained and tired….they even tell you to walk with food when you coming here, we need special diets and we have to stay here almost whole day!”
When the Chief Executive Officer of GPHC was contacted, he briefly said that the allegations are untrue, since persons from the clinic are not compelled to be at the Hospital in the wee hours of the morning, it is their free will to do such, and the hospital has no such policy.
He added that doctors will be present when they are required to work and the allegation is baseless.
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