Unattended patient probe now at GPHC board

It’s now over two months that a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital died after allegedly being left unattended for hours and the hospital administration is still to release the results of its inquiry
It is now saying the matter is being handled at the level of the board.

Twenty-seven-year-old Basmattie Balkarran, a Ruby Backdam, Parika resident was rushed to the city on Saturday, May 3 after receiving initial treatment at the Leonora Cottage Hospital but her relatives said that she had to wait for hours and by the time she was taken to the Emergency Room and the doctor was ready to tend to her, she drew her last breath.

A post-mortem examination had later revealed that Balkarran died of a brain aneurysm and massive intracranial bleeding.   The hospital had said that the death of Basmattie Balkarran “may not have been preventable… but that it was still pursuing investigation as to why she was not seen in a timelier manner.”

Two months after, the details of those investigations are still not available.

Back in May, a few days before the hospital had initially said it would complete the report it had said that it had to be subjected to a review and would be released thereafter.

Contacted two weeks after  Chief Executive Officer Michael Khan said that the  report had been completed and a number of recommendations made. However he had said that he spoke with the chairman of the hospital’s board and a decision had been made for a press conference to be held some time in the succeeding week where the matter would have been looked at.

Close to two weeks after this, the hospital issued a press release inviting the media to a press conference to discuss a number of issues. The very morning of the press briefing a telephone call from the hospital’s Public Relations Officer  Shawnel Cudjoe informed that the press briefing had been put off and that another date would be announced. A press conference was never called by the hospital’s administration other than one in which they collaborated with the Ministry of Health recently dealing  exclusively with the country’s first ever successful kidney transplant.

Two weeks ago  when contacted on the Balkarran report  Khan referred this newspaper to Chairman of the Hospital’s board, Dr. Nanda K Gopaul, saying that he was handling the matter.

Several calls and extended messages over a three-day period for Gopaul at his Office of the President office proved futile.

Balkarran, the mother of three, was first treated at the Leonora Cottage Hospital and was transferred to the GPH the same day but her relatives had told  this newspaper that even though she was rushed to Georgetown  in an ambulance and in a critical condition she waited for hours before being taken into the Emergency Room (ER).

The woman reportedly waited outside the ER for seven hours  for treatment.

Following this newspaper’s publication of the incident,  the GPH had released a statement announcing the establishment  of the committee to inquire into the woman’s death and had stated too that it was  “fully committed to finding out exactly what happened when the patient was brought to the Accident and Emergency Unit.” The statement had said too that the committee comprised  the sister-in-charge of the Accident and Emergency Unit and the Assistant Director of Nursing, among others to fully investigate the matter.  Further, the hospital said it viewed the article with “deep concern.”

Relatives of the  woman are doubtful that the hospital’s investigation of the incident will yield them any justice. On the day of the incident wailing by relatives had drawn a crowd and many sympathized with the family. Some also testified that the woman had indeed been waiting for hours and it was after her relatives started to raise their voices and a subsequent visit to the ER by CEO Khan the woman was taken into the ER.