Latest update April 13th, 2025 6:34 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

The demise of a medical institution

Feb 17, 2012 Letters

 

Dear Editor,
Family rage is apparently being fuelled with the increase in the number  of careless and unnecessary deaths at the West Demerara Regional hospital (BEST).
As an art, health care demands of its practitioners and administrators, sufficient competency to creatively design individualized strategies to assist clients to reach personal health goals, not to help them to meet their demise earlier than desired.
It also demands the necessary equipment on hand to facilitate health care and services offered.
At BEST, this is not so. The unavailability of oxygen, suction, cardiac monitors, privacy, and experienced staff are causing major problems. People are losing their lives unnecessarily.
Most recent and upsetting to family members, friends and colleagues, was the death of a former nurse, Janice Jones, who diligently served as a nurse and midwife at the said hospital. I am talking about someone who, pledged herself under oath to serve and got what she didn’t deserve.
February 11, 2012 will always be a memorable day for us all, when our relative, friend and colleague walked into that hospital strong and unassisted for a simple suction to be done on a tracheotomy site.
It is sad to know, due to the unavailability of functioning suction equipment at the emergency unit, she walked unassisted up four flights of stairs to the female surgical ward, and back down two flights to the maternity ward in search of a functioning suction equipment to perform the procedure. She finally succumbed there because of the unavailability. We term this an unnecessary loss.
We call this malpractice; we call this neglect- failure to exercise the necessary skills to protect clients.
BEST Hospital is lacking the fundamental responsibility of health care in the threefold sense of conserving life, alleviating suffering and promoting health. Instead, the hospital is adding more pain and suffering to the lives of patients and their concerned relatives.
Certain things cannot be blamed on the nurses. According to policy, a nurse recognizes not only his/her responsibilities, but the limitations of his/her profession. It all points to the hospital administrators; they are not adhering to standards and ethics which reflect their level of professionalism. The nurse does not understand the concept of being a steward or the term stewardship- – people who are supposed to be overseers, supervising and regulating or looking after the interest of the state they serve.
A nurse could only participate and share certain responsibilities with his or her superiors, and if the administration is poor in such areas, then the whole health system there has failed.
The Regional Health Officer (RHO) is hardly ever around. He has a private practice to which he pays more attention, and can only be found at the hospital for short intervals. The Hospital Administrator (H.A), Mr. Barrat Persaud, doesn’t understand his job description and may not even have the necessary qualifications of an administrator.
One of the functions of the health care system is creating resources in terms of paying attention to generating other resources to aid it. People’s lives are involved here and more are at risk. My relative would still be with us today were it not for the slackness and incompetence of the hospital administrators.
I am calling on the relevant authorities to pull their last strength to look into the demise of West Demerara Regional Hospital.
Hurt and concerned relative.

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 11th, 2025

 

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Runsfest ends in draw, as arch rivals play hearts out

Runsfest ends in draw, as arch rivals play hearts out

Apr 13, 2025

2025 CWI Regional 4-Day Championships Round 7…GHE vs. TTRF Kaieteur Sports- Guyana Harpy Eagles played to a draw against long-time rivals, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force yesterday at the Queen’s...
Read More
Guyana Harpy Eagles trio fined for breaching Cricket West Indies code of conduct during final round of the West Indies Championship

Guyana Harpy Eagles trio fined for breaching...

Apr 13, 2025

Sport Ministry injects $3M into EDFA League

Sport Ministry injects $3M into EDFA League

Apr 13, 2025

GCB President meets U15 team ahead of Regional showdown

GCB President meets U15 team ahead of Regional...

Apr 13, 2025

Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee, Guyana Cup 2025, set for August 17 at Rising Sun

Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee, Guyana...

Apr 13, 2025

Week 3 of East Bank FA Boys’ U14 League shines with talent and passion

Week 3 of East Bank FA Boys’ U14 League shines...

Apr 13, 2025

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]