Two years on, the Medical Council of Guyana’s disciplinary proceedings stemming from the deaths of three children, who were incorrectly administered medication at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), have not yet concluded.
Council Chairman Dr Navindranauth Rambaran told Stabroek News that there is no timeline as to when the hearings will be concluded.
He explained that as a result, the Council has approached the Ministry of Legal Affairs for an overhaul of sector’s legislation and regulations.
During that meeting, the Council’s delegation had said that in its view the Medical Practitioners Act 1991 and the Code of Conduct and Standards of Prac-tice Regulations 2008 are “defective and toothless.”
A statement from the Ministry of Legal Affairs issued after the meeting noted that it was the Council’s position that the legislation and regulations make it very difficult for the Council to take discipli-nary action against medical practitioners who may be guilty of professional misconduct and/or malpractice. It was also emphasised that there are major inconsistencies between the Act and the Regula-tions, which may have made the Regula-tions ultra vires. In the Council’s view, it added, the Act is now some thirty years old and has become outdated.
This newspaper in November had reported that families of two of the three children have accepted compensation from the hospital, while the third is pressing ahead with legal action.
The families of seven year-old Curwayne Edwards, and three-year old Roshini Seegobin have accepted compensation packages, although the amount agreed was not disclosed.
Ganesh Hira, attorney for the family of the third victim, Sherezer Mendonca, indicated that a lawsuit against the hospital was being prepared.
The victims were all leukemia patients at the hospital’s pediatric ward and were treated by the same team of doctors. They fell ill after being administered cancer drugs and later succumbed.
Edwards died on January 14, 2019, while Seegobin, of Enmore, East Coast Demerara, died on January 18, 2019, and Mendonca, of Queenstown, Essequibo Coast, died on January 24, 2019.
The GPHC and the then Ministry of Public Health launched separate investigations, which found that the medication was incorrectly administered and standard operating procedures were not followed.
The services of the doctors that were involved in the administering of the treatment were terminated.
Following the conclusion of the investigations of the GPHC and the ministry, the findings were announced by Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle, at a press conference, where she explained that the protocols for administering the pre-chemotherapy drugs to the children were not adhered to. The drugs, which were previously not publicly named, were identified as vincristine and methotrexate. Gordon-Boyle said vincristine was administered intrathecally (administration for drugs via an injection into the spinal canal) rather than intravenously (administration of drugs through the vein with an injection).
