Bouncing off the floors and walls, the scents of life and death, and hope and despair coalesce in hospitals. In the wards or private rooms, we face our mortal limitations and our fragility is exposed. Men, women and children, in their weakest hours, rely on intravenous therapy, injections, pills and solutions, and surgeries to reenergise them, to mend the broken parts. It is all humbling.
I dread visiting hospitals. Georgetown Public Hospital is often the institution in which the dread is faced as over the years I have watched relatives and friends recover or die there. The shortcomings of the institution are evident. Bouncing off those floors and walls are the frustrations of both patients and visitors, and staff, I am quite sure.
Upon admission, most people do not wish or hope for death. Even the man who may doubt the wonders of modern medicine must often seek the help of the health care providers in hopes of healing. But do Guyanese have the best access to care and treatment? Certainly, over the years there have been improvements based on reports, and many believe that the Georgetown Public Hospital is one of the medical institutions that offers the best care and treatment in Guyana. But can we truthfully say we are completely satisfied? And when we assess the conditions at the Georgetown Public Hospital, if it is indeed one of the best, aren’t we astonished by the lengths we need to go?