Stating that status does not determine the treatment offered to patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy expressed satisfaction with the hospital yesterday, saying its staff acted in a manner appropriate for the injuries Minister Desrey Fox sustained.
Reacting to concerns raised by Opposition Leader Robert Corbin as to whether negligence was a factor in the minister’s death, Ramsammy said in a statement that he is not going to engage in a technical discussion of what took place at the hospital “at this time”. He asserted that it would be difficult for anyone to make a case that the hospital was not providing round-the-clock care to Fox, as he believes consultants and other caregivers were present at all times during Fox’s stay at the hospital and until her death. “…All investigations necessary and available in Guyana were done and clinical decisions were based on the results of these investigations. Preliminary diagnosis was made and this preliminary diagnosis was added to as the results of new investigations became available,” the minister continued. He said also that the post-mortem examination conducted last Friday by a pathologist confirmed that there was no evidence to suggest negligence on the part of the hospital staff.
Fox was admitted as a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) on December 8 after she was pitched through the rear windscreen of her car following a three-vehicle smash-up in the city. A female passenger, Andrea De Santos and a two-year-old child, Carlos Fox, who were also travelling in Fox’s car, were all admitted to the GPHC. The Minister was admitted to the High Dependency Unit of the hospital and was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit on Friday, hours before she succumbed to her injuries.
Corbin had said on Thursday that Guyanese should be told what caused the death of the minister. He questioned whether Fox died as a result of the injuries sustained during the accident or whether “there were any intervening events such as professional negligence at the Georgetown Hospital that contributed to her sudden death.”
Ramsammy said Corbin has “unfortunately been badly advised on this matter”. He referred to the Opposition leader’s intervention as unfortunate and smacking of political games. He called on persons to allow the hospital and the Ministry of Health to do its work. “I would like to reiterate that we are satisfied that the staff of the [hospital] tried its best and provided quality care to Minister Fox. Everyone worked diligently and everyone was hoping that she would recover. If there was something else that could have been done under the circumstances we would have done so,” Ramsammy said.
According to him, the hospital, as is normal when deaths occur in these circumstances, did its own clinical audit of the case of Minister Fox. He said the Standard Operating Procedure of the GPH requires such an internal audit to be done for deaths that occur in circumstances such as that of Minister Fox. Further, he disclosed that the internal audit was presented to the board of the hospital last Monday, at the regular meeting of the board, adding that the board was satisfied that the GPH professionals did all that was necessary under the circumstances.
In addition, he said the Ministry of Health, through the Chief Medical Officer’s office, will conduct its own investigation in this case as part of the routine work of CMO’s office.
‘Winding down’
Meanwhile, police investigations into the accident are coming to a close. Traffic Chief Neil Semple told Stabroek News late yesterday afternoon that investigations were “winding down” and should be completed soon. After investigations are complete, Semple explained, the file will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecu-tions (DPP) for advice.
Statements have already been taken from all the relevant parties, Semple said. He also explained that he would be unable to say whether or not charges will be laid against the driver of Fox’s vehicle.
The Traffic Chief said that road users were always urged to “adhere to sirens and take the necessary precautions on the roadway.” When questioned about what the Traffic Department has been doing to ensure this traffic regulation is adhered to, Semple said drivers have been continuously warned and there is not a lot more that can be done.
According to eye-witness reports, the Minister’s vehicle was heading west while the ambulance, with sirens on, was heading south along Vlissengen Road when the ambulance broadsided the minister’s vehicle. Following the initial collision, the car, PKK 8875, transporting Fox went into a spin and collided with an Apache taxi, HB 4065, which was on Thomas Lands waiting to turn on to Vlissengen Road. Fox was in the back seat with the child, while the female was in the front passenger seat. Reports are that the impact of the collision pitched the minister out of the back windscreen of the vehicle. She had sustained head and back injuries.
Given reports about the person driving Fox’s vehicle disregarding the ambulance’s siren, questions have been raised about this driver’s conduct. Reports also said that Fox was not wearing her seat belt. Stabroek News was not able to question the Traffic Chief about whether persons were obligated, under the Laws of Guyana, to fasten their rear seatbelts as well.
Several taxi drivers, both freelance and those attached to services, told Stabroek News that back seat passengers never used their seatbelts. According to them, during campaigns police would only check on the driver and front seat passenger to see if they were wearing seatbelts.
“To tell you the truth I have never seen the importance of seatbelts,” one driver from a popular taxi service told Stabroek News, adding, “Even I as a driver I am guilty of not telling anyone in the back seat to put their seatbelts on.”
Meanwhile, Fox’s relatives have continuously declined to speak to this newspaper. When contacted yesterday a person close to Fox’s immediate family told this newspaper “the family is going through a lot and they don’t need to be bothered with questions right now.”
