– ‘I have failed’, Ramsammy says
The Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) has launched an investigation into the death of nursing assistant Charlene Amsterdam, who died on Sunday after delivering a baby girl, even as Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy accepted personal responsibility for the previous deaths. The GPH said in a press release issued yesterday that a preliminary report in this new investigation is expected to be available by Thursday. Meanwhile, in a comment to Stabroek News on Sunday as regards the last two maternal deaths, Ramsammy said although he has given health workers due credit, they should be held accountable. He pointed out that their mandate is to do the “best possible job” and he could not say that was being done.
On that note, he said he accepted that “I have failed”. He said he tells health workers that “when we fail people’s lives are at stake,” and that while “it may be unfair only a perfect response from us is good enough.”
With regard to those responsible for the deaths being disciplined he said, “We have disciplined people quietly in the past but I am not satisfied that they have been disciplined to the extent that they needed to.”
He said he believed the “Guyanese people are not crying for blood; they want accountability and I believe we should be more open with the people.”
He said it should not be like in the past when it was considered that they did not do it deliberately so they would just be penalized and not be humiliated.
Furthermore, he lamented that the deaths are coming at a time when “we have done more specialized training for the health workers in the history of the country… and I expected better from them.”
The first two deaths, he pointed out occurred exactly one week after an international quality training programme was done, where all the things they talked about were supposed to be followed “in these cases.”
The hospital released a statement yesterday saying that an internal investigation has been launched into Amsterdam’s death, in keeping with procedure, and that any other pertinent information will be released subsequent to the completion of the probe.
Amsterdam, 40, delivered her baby on Friday, but experienced heavy bleeding and was later rushed to the operating theatre. Amsterdam died while receiving treatment; she also had fibroids.
Ramsammy expressed sadness at Amsterdam’s passing when contacted on Sunday. He said that the case did not appear to be one where insufficient attention was provided to the woman. Without making any references, he added that when someone is trained to do something he/she must carry out such duties properly.
Meantime, the Cabinet sub-committee set up to probe recent maternal deaths in Region Six has since received a report and persons might be sanctioned, according to Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran. Ramsaran told Stabroek News yesterday that they are currently looking at the report and analyzing the information including the chain of events.
Ramsaran said he had registered his concerns before Cabinet following the deaths in Berbice resulting in the sub-committee being set up. He recalled speaking out against what was happening at Cabinet and that the President immediately ordered an investigation. He added that several health officials have appeared before Cabinet.
Meanwhile, the result of the post-mortem examination (PME) performed on the body of 21-year-old Yogeeta Bisham of Number 60 Village, Corentyne, who died last week after delivering her baby at the Skeldon hospital proved that she died of haemorrhaging.
Her husband, Chandradatt Gobin told Stabroek News last evening that he was very disappointed that no relative was allowed to witness the PME and he suspected that “something fishy” went on.
Ramsammy had also told this newspaper on Sunday that he was “a little disappointed with some of the difficulties in the [health] sector.” He said recently there has been “… I keep hearing that people needed blood but blood was sitting in the hospital. Why the delay in giving people blood; I don’t know… I am still trying to figure out why…”
Minister Ramsammy pointed out that “over the last couple of weeks, at least in two instances maybe, there would have been different results had the persons at blood transfusion started before.” He said there was a time when Region Six had the highest maternal death rate in the Americas but over the last five years the region had fairly good results.
He questioned the reason for the “sudden spate,” while noting that it was found that some of the changes that were put in place have not been sustained.
He recalled that after a maternal death in 2003 he had said he wanted a doctor who is assigned to the maternity ward to be present there 24 hours. “Why that did not continue and when it stopped, I am not certain,” he added.
He has instructed Chief Executive Officer of the Berbice Regional Health Authority, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo to put that back in place.
