Have we become so heartless?

Dear Editor:

Has Guyana become such a heartless society? I ask this question because on Sunday evening on the bridge linking Church Street to North Road which leads into Orange Walk I noticed a walker (equipment used to support someone who can’t walk on their own ) partially in the pathway of vehicular traffic. A closer look revealed that there was a human being lying next to the walker. I asked my friend Neville Bissember who was driving whether my eyes were deceiving me or whether in fact someone was lying next to the walker dangerously positioned as to be run over by a passing vehicle. Bissember confirmed that my eyes had not deceived me and in fact there was a human being lying there. He said the walker had been there since the previous night.

By the time our conversation about this situation ended we had reached “Bam Bam Alley” where we were to sip on a beer or two. However, the picture of this person possibly being run over remained in my head. I told Bissember I could not have a drink with this “picture” haunting my mind and that we should return to see what assistance we could render. We did. As soon as I got out of the car and approached the walker I heard a female voice say “Daddy please call an ambulance”. Several people were walking by unconcerned and had probably done so ever since this woman had fallen off her walker, which, unless she was moved and then returned to fall at the same spot, had to be a period of 24 hours. Even two police on motorcycles passed while we were there awaiting an ambulance and neither even looked in the direction of the walker, let alone the stricken woman.

I dialled 911 and got a fairly quick answer. I advised of the situation and requested an ambulance. After giving the location and a description of the problem I was put on hold for about five minutes, only to be told by the 911 operator that I needed to call 912. I then called 912 to request an ambulance. I was asked a series of questions including my name, telephone number and address. I enquired why was this necessary and if I gave my name as Jagdeo Granger, whether that would be okay. The operator wasn’t amused. So I gave the required information and an ambulance was there in quick order, sirens blasting. Turns out that the woman, seemingly a homeless person, had a severe wound on her leg which had become infected. The ambulance service personnel did a good job while being advised by the small crowd that had gathered how they should lift or not lift the woman and what should be done with the walker. Many of these same onlookers would have walked past this stricken woman prior to the ambulance being there, and not even batted an eyelid.