West Demerara hospital malpractice… Orthopedic technician arrested and bailed

Apr 04, 2017 News

By Brushell Blackman
An Orthopedic technician attached to the West Demerara Hospital, who has been accused of requesting monies from patients for services provided at that institution, was arrested and is now on station bail.
According to Terrence Esseboom, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) the man was arrested last Friday and released on bail the following day at the Vreed-en-Hoop police station.
The MOPH spokesman said that his ministry would solicit an answer from the divisional commander as to why this was allowed even after such serious allegations were made against the man.
Esseboom said that the Regional Executive Officer (REO) in the area has not been officially informed, so he was not sure if the accused is still on the job. However another source close to the investigations has indicated that the technician was sent on administrative leave to facilitate an investigation.
The PRO said that a senior health official has been dispatched to the hospital to spearhead an investigation into the allegations that were made. Esseboom said that the technician has been on the Ministry’s radar since 2012, but persons were reluctant to come forward with evidence.
Esseboom also said that the man was seen on the hospital grounds, speaking to the woman who made the allegation, after he was released from police custody. He said that the REO was forced to seek clarification from the Regional Health Officer (RHO) as to why the man was on the premises and his motives for speaking with the woman.
Hospital authorities reportedly escorted the technician out of the hospital compound.
This newspaper learnt that sometime last week a woman took a relative to the West Demerara Hospital after he had broken his leg somewhere in the interior. The woman said to her surprise she was told that in order for the relative to be seen in a timely manner she needed to pay $400,000.
The woman said that she told the technician that it was difficult for her to provide such a large sum, and he suggested a lesser but still a substantial sum.
“He ask me if I can find $100,000 and I said that I’m a poor woman and me ent get dem money”. Wanting to ensure that the relative receive the urgent medical care that was required, the woman told him that she was in possession of $40,000 at that time.
The technician indicated that the amount was insufficient, since the fee she proffered to pay had to be divided between several doctors. The woman also said that she gave the technician $3,000 for x-ray services that were provided.
The woman said she was informed that the relative needed a surgery performed on the broken leg based on the findings of the x-ray, but this could not be done anytime soon unless the money was paid.
When the technician was contacted, he did admit to this newspaper that he collected the $3,000 from the woman. When asked why that was so, since the hospital is a government institution, the official said that it is a common practice that is ongoing at that particular institution. He said that he did not ask the woman to pay any money, but he said that there is a particular doctor who is the ringleader in the ‘pay for service ring’.

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