A Commission of Inquiry is Demanded

Jul 25, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Grant me brief space in your newspaper to throw in my uniform among the dirty laundry that’s currently being sorted in preparation for final washing between the Guyana Nursing Asociation (GNA) & the Minister of Public Health, George Norton.
In the ongoing brouhaha that centers around the Matron being sent on administrative leave for allegations of obstruction of the proper delivery of health care and insubordination, some very serious allegations have been leveled at the Minister, the Ministry and by extension the health populace.
Point in question being the remarks from the GNA, Kaieteur News July 24, 2016 directed at the level of scrutiny paid to the Maternity Department as opposed to other departments, the findings of which according to the GNA would shock the nation, as an alarming number of deaths occurred due to wrong diagnosis and poor management.
Such a remark cannot and should not be dismissed lightly, as we are talking about individuals who are no longer present to speak for themselves, and whose loss, perhaps unexpectedly,  have and perhaps still do, continue to wreak fiscal and emotional havoc on those that have been left behind.
If the GNA or any of its members were privy to medical malpractice, misconduct or negligence then pray tell me wherein does their moral and professional lie? Is it firstly to the patient, the institution and above all their profession?  Are nurses in Guyana not held to the same standard of Nightingalean pledge as nurses worldwide?
If  I be allowed to proffer my opinion, let me unhesitatingly state that without a second thought, I would dismiss the Matron and others of her ilk , as from all outward written appearances, the working environment is far too toxic, and  at best not conducive to healing or health improvement of any sort. And if the GNA is speaking on her behalf, then I close my case and await an appeal.
GNA has said that there are professional nurses who are more knowledgeable than the doctors. Enough said; enough to immediately make one aware of the existing vicious work environment, where rivalry and disrespect abound, and team work hasn’t the slightest chance of being considered. It boils down to how much you know not what you show.
To quote the final line of the nurses’ pledge, which incidentally is an offshoot of the Hippocratic Oath, “With loyalty, will collaborate with the health care team, and as a missioner of health, I will dedicate myself to devoted service for human welfare”
Firstly as a100% bona fide Guyanese, then an overseas trained and qualified member of the nursing profession and one who has held several key positions, I am calling on the Health Minister to immediately set up a Commission of Inquiry, the designed objective being to carefully investigate the allegations/ accusations made by the GNA regarding the mortality rate in Obstetrics as compared to other areas.
In those found guilty of misconduct, malpractice leading to manslaughter, negligence, breach of professional duty and blatant complicity then they should be punished to the full extent of the law, with sentences that would serve as a deterrent to others. In addition, their respective Board should also be made aware of their offences which seemingly have run counter to the existing rules of respective membership.
On a note of further concern, permit me with a moronic air to ask these mind boggling questions. Why is information of such a damaging nature now coming forth?  Had the Matron not been taken off the scene would the acts and the facts been made known?  If so when and by whom? Who in the GNA was made aware of these alarming numbers of deaths in other departments?
Is there available documentation/ record taking to substantiate all claims made? Were these concerns made known to other health personnel outside the GNA? Was the Minister of Health made aware prior to this?
Let us not overlook the fact that there is a gross display of lack of professionalism on the part of the GNA, especially with usage of the media, namely Kaieteur News serving as the means of revelations.  Readers  throughout the diaspora are vicariously brought via social media into the foray, especially those who may have had their doubts about the nursing care previously received by a loved  one, or the suspicious circumstances surrounding his/ her untimely demise.  Pandora’s Box has now been opened.  Would it have been better off left unopened and untouched?  Or was it a festering wound that had gone unnoticed far too long? Was there no other forum by which these morbid statistics could have been made known?
The phrase “Loose Lips sink Ships” is an American idiom that started out during World War 11 on propaganda posters, with the intent of advising servicemen and other citizens to avoid careless talk regarding secured information that might be of use to the enemy.  In the present case, have the ships already been sunken? The British equivalent Careless Talk Costs Lives is certainly applicable here.
This present revelation and for which I once again call for a Commission of Inquiry has certainly dealt a gut wrenching blow to Minister Norton, who has definitely been out of the loop; his Ministry’s representatives who may prefer to be termed nameless rather than shameless; the Guyana Nursing Board and the professional and ethical display of its members; the Medical Board, by extension the President and of course the Guyanese populace who once again have found themselves at the short end of the stick. Let us Root for the Truth. If you cannot be a nurse, then pray God you don’t become a curse.
Yvonne Sam. R.N S, BScN.

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