Patient at GPHC believes he was abandoned by relatives

Jul 26, 2021 News

– Palms unable to house him

Kaieteur News – An elderly patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) believes his relatives have abandoned him.
Mr. Ovid [only name given], of Enterprise, East Coast Demerara, was admitted to the hospital for an abscess on July 12, 2021. Since then, he has not seen or heard from any of his children or other relatives.

Mr. Ovid

Kaieteur News was told that the man was later discharged but is still in the male surgical ward due to his relatives’ failure to come to his aid.
After receiving a report about the matter, this publication visited the hospital. During an interview with Mr. Ovid, he disclosed with tears in his eyes, his fear that his children have abandoned him. “If they don’t come back for me, the hospital might put me on the street,” the tearful man added.
Kaieteur News learned of Mr. Ovid’s story after a woman reported to this publication that her father is a patient at the hospital where she noticed Mr. Ovid.
“Every time I visit my father, I see this elderly man [Mr. Ovid], and no one is ever there to visit him or bring anything for him to eat…I decided to ask him what is happening,” the woman added.
According to the woman, Mr. Ovid had requested that the next time she visits her father; she brings clothes for him since he does not have change of clothes at the hospital.
“He was literally in tears while relating what happened to him,” the woman stated.
According to a source, a few days after Mr. Ovid was admitted, he was treated and discharged from the hospital. The source further indicated that due to the fact that his relatives failed to collect him, the hospital reached out to the Palms Geriatric Home but the adult foster care home allegedly refused to collect him due to the unavailability of space. He was also denied on the grounds that he is unable to walk and do other things on his own.
Mr. Ovid is not the first to be abandoned at the hospital. Kaieteur News had reported on similar matters where elderly patients were abandoned at the GPHC, by their relatives.