Wastage, hazardous conditions continue to plague West Dem. Hospital

Aug 29, 2012 News

Despite several reports and complaints of the worsening state of the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), and accusations by staffers at the facility that government was turning a blind eye, persons visiting the facilities say there has not been much improvements.

Wastage: Taxpayers monies down the drain? Boxes of hand sanitizers that have to be dumped by the West Demerara Hospital.

Some staff members said the conditions under which they work are stressful and in certain circumstances pose a threat to their wellbeing.
One such situation is the room assigned to porters. A visit to the area revealed that there were tree vines growing from the ceiling.
In addition, there are concerns about the dangerous wiring in the building at some of the critical areas, including the Emergency Room (ER).
Region Three Regional Health Officer (RHO), Ravindranauth Persaud, had earlier in the year assured that measures would have been put in place to ensure the safety of hospital staff and patients. However, the present situation begs to differ.
The Government has green lighted a $20M contract for electrical repairs.
The state of the hospital has been a subject of much criticism in recent times.
It was clear that attempts were made to hide away dangling electrical wires.
Kaieteur News understands that the hospital has been in this condition for the longest while.
Another issue at the hospital was the storage of patient’s records in cardboard boxes. These are being kept in a seemingly abandoned room in no orderly manner. It is almost an impossible task to trace patients’ records.
There were also complaints about shortages of key drugs. This was an ironic

The room where porters are expected to use.

situation since a large batch of Purell hand sanitizers which expired in December 2011 was placed on the corridor awaiting disposal according to staff at the institution.
“These people rather throw away stuff, rather than give people it weeks before it expire,” one staff noted.
Kaieteur News made contact with the RHO earlier this week, but the official said that he is not authorized to speak to the media.