Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter in your Sunday Stabroek of April 23rd captioned: `Region 5 REO owes Nurse Marks an apology.’
I do not hold a brief for Ms. Carol Smith Joseph. She is quite capable of defending herself.
I must note however that implicit in the allegations of her abuse of medication at the Fort Wellington Cottage Hospital, is the insinuation that the Doctors at this Hospital were less than professional or worse aided and abetted Ms Joseph in her alleged abuse.
I need hardly point out that Ms. Joseph could not have accessed these drugs all by herself since they are kept under secure circumstances at the Hospital.
The dosages of medication Ms Joseph received were prescribed by Doctors.
I therefore consider the insinuations on the professionalism of our Doctors highly distasteful and as REO of the Region under whose Administration these Doctors fall I can assure you that I will not sit idly by and watch the integrity of these professionals being trampled on by media outlets which seem more interested in scandalising a PNC activist than getting at the truth of the matter.
In terms of the controversy, Editor I am at the moment unaware of whether there is an objective standard against which any one can determine what amounts to “excessive use” of the medication in question for any one person.
Additionally, it is not for trivial reasons that the medication is classified as a dangerous drug. I know of no Doctor in his right senses who would knowingly overdose a patient with a dangerous drug. Given that this “excessive” dosage has been dispensed since October last year without any dramatic effects on the well-being of the patient to date, I think it is quite reasonable to say that the dosage prescribed was safe.
Additionally since the Nurse Marks “whistleblower” letter was dispatched to the relevant authorities months ago and then again in December 2016, and they took no action, can it not be construed that the authorities saw no cause for alarm?
Be assured Editor that a story has two sides.
Editor the whole affair reeks of political manipulation of a Staff Nurse Mid Wife in service of a People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament’s attack on an activist of the PNC arm of APNU.
Sad to say the apparent willingness of your Staff to “run with” the spectacular aspects of an issue instead of digging deeply to get at the truth is unfortunate.
I have been informed that the Medical Council is looking at this matter.
Let’s await their judgement but be assured that I still stand by my position that neither Nurse Marks nor Mr. Gill are more qualified than any of the hardworking Doctors who serve the public at Fort Wellington Hospital day in day out.
I will not apologize for saying that.
Yours faithfully,
Ovid Morrison
Regional Executive Officer,
Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice)
