THE BRAVERY OF A NURSE

May 31, 2018 Editorial

Despite the unanimous passage of the Whistleblower Protection legislation last year, the truth is the exposure of corrupt and other illegal practices of government officials by whistleblowers could be dangerous.
The reason is whistleblowers without strong political connections could face serious reprisals and victimization from operatives from the political party in power at the time. This was what happened to nurse Sherlyn Marks at the Fort Wellington Hospital.
She had worked for several years at the Fort Wellington Hospital and had resided in the area, but was abruptly transferred against her will to another hospital by the Region Five Executive Officer. She had refused to administer the narcotic, Pethidine, to a former Region Five councillor. The councillor subsequently resigned amid published reports of the abuse and addiction to the drug.
Pethidine is highly addictive; it is not intended for prolonged use. Many countries have replaced it with morphine, which is just as effective as a painkiller, but less addictive. While there is ample availability of morphine in Guyana, many doctors continue to prescribe the addictive Pethidine medication to their patients.
The councillor who became addicted to the narcotic medication, has been accused of using her political status to access frequent doses of the drug at the Fort Wellington Hospital, West Coast Berbice.
Pethidine is an old drug, and its addiction is a serious problem, not only globally, but in Guyana. There are many citizens whose lives have become miserable and depressed and whose families endure unbelievable agony because of pethidine addiction.
The former APNU+AFC councillor abuse and addiction to Pethidine has been a personal tragedy. It was unfortunate that the nurse was on duty at the Fort Wellington Hospital on several occasions when the councillor showed up for her daily dosage of Pethidine. She did not want to help the councilor to sink deeper into the depth of pethidine addiction.
She had the moral courage and professionalism not to be an enabler to the councillor. But there were many at the hospital, who out of fear of reprisals from the political elites, were willing to be enablers.
Nurse Marks was punished for doing her job by refusing to provide an addictive drug to a patient already seriously hooked on it. Her refusal was moral and ethical and was based on medical and legal principle. It was based on the adherence to her Nurse Nightingale pledge to not administer any harmful medicine to patients.
Nurse Marks is a responsible nurse, who was willing to provide proper health care to patients based on her training, but she was not willing to provide substance abuse to anyone. We need more brave nurses and healthcare providers like Ms. Marks who was punished by the APNU+AFC government for doing the right thing.
Several investigations by the Guyana Nursing Council, the Guyana Medial Council, Guyana Public Service Union and the Ministry of Public Health have found that Nurse Marks did not breach any rules and that the actions taken against her were inappropriate, yet her transfer from her post at the Fort Wellington Hospital last April has not been rescinded.
What is even worse was that the overwhelming silence by the Ministry of Health and by extension the government highlights the failure of the system to be a supporter of the Whistleblower legislation.