Relatives of Womati Shivprasad, 50, of No. 19 Village, Corentyne who died almost one month ago from ruptured appendix following treatment at the New Amsterdam Hospital (NAH) are calling for an investigation.
They said she complained of belly pain and vomiting on September 26 and they rushed her to the NAH around 7:20 pm. They are blaming her death on carelessness and negligence and said had the doctor made the right diagnosis she would have been properly treated. They said when she was finally able to see a doctor two hours later he ordered an x-ray and a blood test. Stabroek News made attempts to contact Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy for comment on the case yesterday but they were unsuccessful.
Womati’s brother, Gurdat Shivprasad, called ‘Bud,’ who had been with her, said that the doctor did not indicate what was wrong with her but ordered that she be given saline. Relatives were told to wait outside during that time and just after midnight Womati was sent home. They also received a prescription to purchase medication the following day but she did not get much relief.
Gurdat said that when they arrived at the Accident & Emergency (A&E) unit, his sister was experiencing severe pain and kept vomiting. Although he told the guard who manned the unit that her condition required emergency attention, he did not allow her to enter. The guard told them that they would have to wait on the eight persons who were there before them. Two hours later they were finally able to see a doctor but they were not satisfied that he was not able to detect the cause of her discomfort.
Around 2 am on September 28, her mother, with whom she lived, discovered her dead on her bed and immediately called out to the neighbours. The results of a post-mortem examination (PME) which was performed on September 30 proved that she died as a result of ruptured appendix.
“If they had admitted her and gave her the proper treatment I would have accepted that. But I don’t think enough was done,” Gurdat lamented. “And who is the security guard to determine when a patient needs emergency treatment?” Further, he said when it was time for the PME they were getting the “push around.” The PME was finally done following interventions by Ramsammy and the Chief Executive Officer of the Berbice Regional Health Authority, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo.
The man stated too that he had a previous experience at the A&E department when he took a family friend there with similar symptoms and he said the security did not allow the person to go in. After waiting for over two hours and his friend’s condition getting worse, Gurdat said he had to take him to a private doctor. The patient was taken back to the NAH after another friend contacted Dr. Mahadeo, who got on to the security guard and instructed that the patient be sent in.
Gurdat is recommending that a nurse be there to determine the emergency cases and said “you cannot work with turn system when a person requires emergency treatment.” He noted too that “it is not a matter for the guards to decide….”
