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Trinidad Minister blames death of Guyanese on panicked wife
Trinidad’s Health Minster Dr. Faud Khan has ordered the abolishment of the signing of a financial guarantee form for persons seeking emergency medical treatment at the Mount Hope Medical complex.
The Health Minister made this disclosure yesterday on TALK CITY, a 9I.9 FM radio programme “Face Off” panel discussions in Port of Spain, in the aftermath of the death of Guyanese Jeetendra Sookram.
Vidya Bachu
Sookram died on Thursday, in the back seat of a car owned by a relative. His wife, Vidya Baichu, said that he was refused treatment at the Mount Hope Complex because he was a foreigner.
Participants in the radio discussion included Prime News’s Julia Johnson; former President of the Association of Caribbean Media, Wesley Gibbins, who is a co-host of Face off; as well as other Face-Off co-hosts Phillip Noguera and David Fraser.
Health Minister Dr. Khan told the panel that initial investigations revealed that Sookram was at Mount Hope for 10 minutes. He said that this is borne out by the CCTV footage.
He said that the Guyanese was receiving ongoing medical treatment when he left the complex. The Minister said that Sookram had an ECG which revealed that he had an abnormality.
It was at the time that he was being attended to that a staff member approached his wife with the financial guarantee form, which was a formality. He suggested that on seeing the form and being asked to sign it, the woman might have “panicked” and she and Sookram left the hospital.
Dr. Khan said that had she waited, Sookram would have received the care and attention his situation deserves.
Dr. Khan told the panel that the policy at Mount Hope is that all emergency cases are treated free of cost. He reiterated that the financial guarantee requirement was a formality that had been in place since 2004, but did not prevent anyone from accessing treatment.
The panel was told that the Sookram case was carried in the dailies in Guyana and on the social networks where Trinidad was negatively perceived. The general feel was that it was because Sookram was not a Trinidadian that medical treatment was denied him.
The Minister said he has indicated to Guyana Consul General to Trinidad, Ernie Ross, the steps he had taken in the matter, such as taking steps to abolish the financial guarantee form.
He could not say how many foreigners seek medical attention at Mount Hope without paying, but said that as long as they are treated, payment is not demanded.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in expressing its deep concern in Sookram’s death, has asked Ross to follow up with the Trinidadian authorities.
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