Almost six weeks after being rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) with a broken leg, a man is yet to have corrective surgery to the limb.
The life of Charles Flavius changed on November 28, 2018 after he was involved in a motorcycle accident along the East Bank Demerara roadway. Flavius, a father of three, suffered injuries to his right leg, just above his ankle. He was rushed immediately to the GPH and taken into the emergency area.
Flavius told Stabroek News yesterday that he knew his leg was broken because it was dangling and he could not stand. He added that he was in quite a bit of pain. Shortly after arriving in the emergency room, Flavius said, he was seen by a doctor who took blood samples, an x-ray of his leg and later informed him that they would have to put his foot in a cast.
The doctor also told Flavius that he would have to go to the clinic for a checkup some days after. It was during his visit to the clinic at GPH on December 12, 2018, exactly two weeks after the accident, that he heard surprising news.
Flavius, with his foot still in a cast, learnt from another doctor that he would need to have surgery performed on his leg. This, the injured man said, came as a surprise to him since nothing of the sort was relayed to him by the doctor who examined him when he first arrived at the hospital.
He was then sent to another doctor to have a date set for the surgery. Flavius was given January 9, 2019, but the doctor informed him that there had to be openings in case of emergencies.
This angered the now confused man who was prompted to ask the doctor, “On November 28, 2018 when I came to the hospital with my leg dangling, wasn’t that an emergency?” But his question yielded no response, he said.
Flavius then sought to have his case transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital in the hope of having an early date for surgery. However, since the transfer, he was placed on a lengthy waiting list. The man said that a glimmer of hope came when his wife visited the hospital and was informed that he can visit the hospital today and much effort will be made to have surgery performed on his leg by tomorrow. Amidst the lengthy waiting, Flavius said that although his wife is working and financial assistance has been coming in, he has children to care for and has spent six weeks doing nothing, not even in recovery.
After the surgery, Flavius said, “I’m hoping to get back to 100 per cent despite the fact that healing has begun as my leg remain in the semi cast.”
