A Berbice woman is now dead after a power failure occurred at the New Amsterdam Hospital while she was undergoing surgery on Sunday, January 20.
Tirtawattie Shoandeo, 47, of Lot 129 Whim Village, Corentyne, Berbice, died a day after she was admitted to the institution with pain in her abdomen. According to the woman’s son, Yuvraj Shoandeo, his mother was rushed into emergency surgery after doctors at the institution could not find anything wrong with her following an x-ray.
Shoandeo told this newspaper that prior to his mother’s visit to the New Amsterdam Hospital he had taken her to a private doctor in Corriverton where an ultra sound was done, which showed no abnormalities. Despite this, he said, his mother continued to cry out for pain in the left side of her abdomen. As a result, he then took her to another private doctor on the Corentyne who told them that “something was growing in her belly”. This doctor referred them to the New Amsterdam Hospital.
Shoandeo said he took his mother to the hospital and doctors at the institution admitted her on January 19. An x-ray was performed, but it did not show anything wrong so the doctors gave her saline, he said. They also told him that an emergency surgery had to be performed on her and the explanation for this was that something was growing in her.
The woman’s son said that later that Saturday her husband visited her but did not receive an update on her condition.
Shoandeo said he also visited his mother later on and he inquired from the doctor if she needed blood or anything for the surgery because the private doctor he had taken her to had warned him that if his mother were to have an operation, she would need blood.
The man said the doctor replied to his question by asking him if he was doing his (the doctor’s) work. Later that night the woman was taken into surgery. About 15 minutes after, the power in the hospital went off, her son said.
He said he and other relatives who were outside waiting went to get the porters to turn on the generator, but after spending close to an hour searching for the porters they could not find them and the generator never came on. The man said he went back inside and the doctor came out of the theatre, went into his car from which he removed a mini light and went back into the theatre.
About two minutes later, Shoandeo said, the doctor came out of the theatre again and started to look for a flashlight. The young man could not say whether the doctor found the flashlight, but he saw when he went back in the operating room.
Shortly after, power was restored and about five minutes later, the doctor again emerged from the theatre and this time it was to inform Shoandeo that his mother was in a critical condition and an ambulance was being arranged to take her to Georgetown Public Hospital.
The ambulance needed a push start, Shoandeo said, and by the time it was finally ready the doctor returned with the sad news that his mother had passed away.
The woman’s family believes that her death was because of the blackout and the inability of the hospital to have the standby generator immediately restore the power supply.
They are also blaming the hospital for not having the relevant personnel to operate the generator in critical situations, which can be fatal as was proved in Mrs Shoandeo’s case.
On the day of the post-mortem examination there was another blackout and the generator was only started up after half an hour had elapsed, the woman’s relatives added. Shoandeo said they are calling on Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran to investigate the matter as they seek justice for their loved one’s life.
