The independent probe into the treatment that late minister Dr Desrey Fox received at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) confirmed that the hospital did everything possible given the circumstances, Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy has said.
Ramsammy declined to discuss the findings of the report in detail, but he told Stabroek News on Saturday that the report has confirmed the preliminary findings on the ground; which is that the minister had received diligent care at the institution. Since its completion in March this year the report has been forwarded to the Office of the President and according to Ramsammy, the President will publicly pronounce on it.
Ramsammy had initially expressed satisfaction with the hospital whose staff he said acted in a manner appropriate with the injuries. The ministry had initiated its own probe and a report was submitted to Ramsammy. The contents of that report were not released.
President Jagdeo had ordered a probe into the treatment Fox received at the GPH saying that he did not understand how she died after sustaining some fractures. He had also stated that he was not satisfied with the initial report from the hospital. “I have asked for a full investigation as to the circumstances of her passing,” the President had said.
“…I am yet to see that report. I gather that an oral presentation was made to the Minister of Health and I am not satisfied with that. I need to see a comprehensive report and I have raised this at the Cabinet… and once we examine that report then you would hear further from the government,” he added.
When contacted, an official at OP acknowledged that the report has been sitting at the office for some time, but was unable to say when the President would publicly comment on it. The President’s call for an investigation had followed public concerns raised by Opposition Leader Robert Corbin as to what caused the minister’s death. Corbin 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.” Subsequent to this, the Health Minister responded that it would be difficult for anyone to make a case that the hospital was not providing round-the-clock care to Fox.
“…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 by a pathologist confirmed that there was no evidence to suggest negligence on the part of the hospital staff.