Lethem Hospital not functioning to residents’ expectations

Apr 10, 2012 News

Though millions of dollars have been spent to establish the Lethem Regional Hospital,

The hostel which can accommodate more staff for the Lethem Regional Hospital

residents are complaining that the services and treatment being offered to them are far from acceptable.
Some are complaining that while the hospital is being touted as a “State-of-the-Art” facility it lacks proper staffing and does not offer some services which residents expect.
Reports are that the health facility currently has no Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and that its previous CEO was only stationed at the hospital for five months after which he returned to Georgetown.
While there is a hostel for the accommodation of its staff, the hospital has no matron or ward sister and no surgeon in house in case of emergencies.
The theatre and x-ray department is said to be functioning however, it is hardly used, if ever.
Patients in need of surgery are usually flown to Georgetown or are sent to Brazil.
One man told Kaieteur News that it is often an inconvenience to travel to Brazil for

Some of the unused, new equipment thrown aside in the toilet area of the Lethem Regional Hospital

surgery and that relatives often fear for the safety and lives of their loved ones.
“When you reach Brazil they don’t understand your language much and you don’t understand theirs. Many times when patients go there they die. The language barrier is important. We need a surgeon visiting here or something,” he complained.
The residents also complained that the attitudes of the nurses also need to be corrected since they are in a “people friendly” environment.
“The nurses there are so rude and unpleasant because when you go they have attitudes like if you begging them to do favours and as if they are not being paid. If they don’t want to work why did they enroll for the job in the first place?
“The hospital is for sick people and people who need care so if they can’t be nice or pleasant what are they there for?” questioned an elderly woman.
“The hospital equipment is being scattered around; they don’t have any proper inventory system there. Some of the stuff are just thrown around on the floor and even thrown into the toilet area,” added one patient.