Hand-in-Hand employee perishes in road accident

Aug 13, 2010 News

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The death of a young office assistant of the Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire and Life Insurance Company has plunged a North Ruimveldt family into deep mourning.
Twenty-one-year-old Marvin Williams was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Hospital shortly before midnight on Wednesday after he collided with a car while riding his motorcycle on Mandela Avenue.
According to the police, motor car HB 6580 was proceeding south along the eastern side of Mandela Avenue when it is alleged that Williams of Soufriere Street, North Ruimveldt, who was proceeding in the opposite direction, overtook another car and ended up in the path of HB 6580 and was struck down.
He was picked up and taken to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital where he was officially pronounced dead.
His sister, Lashaun Williams, told this newspaper that the last time she saw her brother alive was when he returned home for lunch on Wednesday.
She said that late Wednesday night she received a telephone call from someone who requested that she report to the Accident and Emergency unit of the hospital.
“They did not tell me what happened, they just asked me to go to the hospital,” Lashaun Williams said.
When she arrived there her worst fears were confirmed, her only brother was dead.
The driver of the car is in police custody assisting with investigations.
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Exorbitant blood transfusion costs gain ministry’s attention

By Sharmain Cornette

The provision of blood should not be part of the profit-making services that the private sector engages in. Minister of Health Dr .Leslie Ramsammy made this assertion, even as he disclosed that reports reaching his office suggest that some persons are made to pay up to $20,000 per unit of blood at times.
According to Dr. Ramsammy, his Ministry is currently monitoring this activity in the private sector.
“I have asked for a clear provision of what is the cost at the private sector that we will publish for everyone to see, so that people become familiar with what it is. I would hope that the Ministry of Health and the Government will not have to institute regulations to control the price of blood in the private sector.”
It is his expectation that the private sector will work voluntarily with the Health Ministry.
He underscored his conviction that a product provided freely as a service to the people of Guyana, by citizens of Guyana, should not be utilised to make a profit. Dr. Ramsammy said he has received complaints from some citizens about exorbitant amounts that they have been paying per unit of blood.
He added that although it usually costs the Ministry a substantial amount to collect blood, private facilities are required to pay a mere $3,000 per unit.
“Blood is donated freely by people. No one is being paid to do so. In fact the policy in Guyana is that we do not take blood from anyone who is being paid. Once we know you are being paid we will defer you and we will not accept it.”
“Right now we do a number of tests to ensure the blood is safe, including HIV, Chagas, Hepatitis C and B and Syphilis. In the public health system you do not pay for that, in the private sector they pay for a part of the cost of the testing and screening process, therefore it is legitimate for the private operator to charge a similar fee.”
The Minister revealed that persons who receive blood and its products in the public hospitals are not asked to defray any part of the cost of collecting or the screening process. However, once this service is sought in the private sector, persons are understandably charged to offset the costs incurred by the private facility for delivering the service.
However, the government has insisted in the past, and continues to emphasise, that the provision of blood in the private sector should not be part of the profit-making services that the private sector provides, the Minister stressed.
“It is a national service that people could get in the public and private sectors. The private sector must recoup their cost… that we know. Some will charge even $5,000 which in my opinion too much, but that is okay…However I am getting reports that people are paying too much, up to $20,000! I think it is unethical to charge such high amounts for blood donated by the people.”
According to the Minister, currently there is no private hospital that can do all of the tests that are required by law to be done for blood before it is transfused.
He revealed that at the moment it is only the National Public Health Reference Laboratory that has the capacity to engage such undertakings.
And based on this observation, Dr. Ramsammy asserted that there is no way that private hospitals can screen blood. However he noted that there is no law “and we do not intend to create that law, that the private sector cannot do their own screening.”
He pointed out that before a private facility can engage in such activities they must first be approved through the Health Facilities Licensing Act.
“Licencing doesn’t mean you can do anything you want…you are licenced for certain services but if they want to collect and screen their own blood they have to apply for that as part of their licence.”
Once such a request is made, the Minister disclosed, the hospital inspectorate would have to determine whether the private facilities meet the relevant requirements to provide that service.
And there are no private hospitals in Guyana that have included the collection and screening of blood in their application for a licence and no licence issued includes a permission to collect and screen blood, Dr. Ramsammy asserted.
“It is not us trying to restrict it. In fact it would make our life much easier. It is ensuring that the blood is as safe as possible, and that is the only reason.
If any private hospital wants to do this they can come to us, but right now none can do HTLV, Chagas and Hepatitis C tests and until such time that they can do these things they will not be permitted to screen blood.”
However, the minister noted that he “would not be shocked” if reports surface that some private hospitals are already engaging in the screening of blood.
Nonetheless, he stated assuredly that continuous efforts are being made to monitor blood transfusion to ensure that they are coming from a certified source.

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