Latest update November 5th, 2024 1:00 AM
Matthews Ridge Hospital troubles…Corpses treated inhumanely, emergency vehicle down – APNU
In Matthews’ Ridge, a Region One community without electricity, residents are forced to make funeral arrangements hurriedly to avoid the rapid decomposition of the corpses of their loved ones.
Constant icing of the dead, placed in a small wooden box, in Matthews Ridge Hospital’s mortuary is insufficient to keep corpses for “long periods”.
Matthews Ridge Hospital’s mortuary
This is according to Christopher Jones, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Parliamentarian, who was part of a team that recently visited the community.
This undesirable situation has been highlighted on numerous occasions and was even raised in the National Assembly by then Leader of the Opposition, Robert Corbin. But, to date Government has taken no step to improve the situation, he said.
Jones emphasized that of the many complaints of poor health services the most alarming is the inhumane and disrespectful handling of the dead.
“The dead is placed in a wooden box and iced. If the dead is left there unguarded, cats, dogs and even rats could easily enter the morgue and disfigure the decomposing corpse,” Jones said.
During a recent interview with this publication at a consultation on regularizing the funeral parlour business in Guyana, Juanita Johnson, Secretary to the Central Board of Health, said that there are no funeral parlours in the hinterland region. Residents depend on hospital mortuaries to keep their dead.
“Coming out of this I think the Board, with the Environmental Health Department, would have to go to these regions and inspect the health facilities to see what mechanisms are there. Because the worst case scenario is they store the dead at the hospitals and you have to prepare the dead… I have no clue,” Johnson said.
According to Jones, with the large sums of monies allocated yearly to the Health Ministry, health services in Matthews Ridge beg for improvements.
He said that the general operations of Matthews Ridge Hospital are being affected by the absence of electricity. “The lights are solar powered but the points are dead. Only in emergency cases and to pump water into tanks is the generator used. Fuel is not always readily available.”
He said that fuel, food and other necessities are sometimes short.
Previously, businesses offered these items on credit to the hospital but because of the lengthy payment time they withdrew their services.
In addition, the hospital emergency vehicle, which appears relatively new, has been down for several months. “Whenever there is an emergency, residents have to find their own transportation to reach the hospital. I am told that the vehicle needs a part,” he said.
Jones said that a blatant waste of resources was discovered along the way from Matthews Ridge to Big Creek. Apparently, a health hut that was constructed some time ago was never occupied and is now in a deplorable condition.
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