A fire on New Year’s Day destroyed Guyana’s lone public Echocardiography (ECG) Laboratory at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) leaving some $25 million worth of damage behind.
Arson is suspected.
Subsequent to the fire on Saturday morning, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony and Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn visited the hospital for a first-hand look at the damage.
Anthony in a Facebook post stated that “Arson is suspected,” and the Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer (ag), Robbie Rambarran yesterday said that while a thorough investigation is continuing, preliminary investigations by the Guyana Fire Service have suggested that the fire could have been an act of arson.
The hospital executive noted that from preliminary investigations, the fire-fighters stated that the items in the room were drenched with a flammable substance and there was no evidence of the blaze being electrical in nature. He said that nurses recalled that around midnight the smell of a strange substance filled the air but they were uncertain what it was and where it was coming from.
A swift response from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and the enclosed nature of the area prevented the fire from spreading to other parts of the hospital.
“According to the fire service because the room was enclosed and there was (little) ventilation the fire was contained to the room. It that was not the case, the situation would have been worse. When the fire service came they had to break down the door and start to put out the fire,” Rambarran told this newspaper.
He said that as early as this morning he will be meeting with officials at the Ministry of Health to discuss the replacement of the machinery and other critical items for the laboratory. The area destroyed by the fire is also used as the cardiac clinic to treat patients and diagnose illnesses.
In a brief statement yesterday, the Fire Service said Water Tenders #102, #105, #106 and #112 from the Central, Campbellville and Alberttown Fire Stations were summoned to the GPHC at about 5:24 am.
The fire occurred in the echocardiography room which is located on the first floor of the GPHC and the entire room was severely damaged. The prompt response of the GFS resulted in the containment of the blaze and prevented it from spreading to other parts of the hospital, the release said.
Fire-fighters, the release said used five Co2 extinguishers to quell the fire and there was no casualty or injury.
Rambarran yesterday told Stabroek News that he was informed of the fire at approximately 5.45 am. He explained that after receiving the news he immediately made contact with the electricians to enquire whether there were any defects in the electrical system at the hospital but no faults had been detected.
“Everything was already destroyed. The beds, the computers, the echocardiograph machine, all were destroyed,” Rambarran recounted
The CEO stated that nurses on duty in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), which are located close to the clinic were the ones to raise the alarm. He said that smoke made its way through the ventilators and reached the two ICUs.
As the nurses raised alarms and summoned the fire service, effort were made to relocate 11 patients from the two intensive care facilities. The hospital CEO said that the patients were quickly moved to the operating theatre’s recovery room and the Ophthalmology Department.
As of Saturday night clearance was given by electricians and ranks from the fire service and the patients were able to return to their designated facilities.
Rambarran added that at the time of the fire, the laboratory and clinic area was not occupied by anyone and according to the head of the department, it was secured on Friday after all staff had left.
The loss of the department, he said, will put some strain on patients as appointments will have to be rescheduled and critical tests which the laboratory conducts will be delayed. Rambarran stated that this was a critical department at the hospital as it aided in early detection of cardiac illnesses and determined how best they could help patients.
The ECG machine was donated to the laboratory some years ago by donors from Calgary University in Canada. Rambarran stated that in the hospital’s 2022 budgetary proposal they were seeking to acquire additional machines to aid with the backlog they face. However, he stated that they will have to meet with the authorities and determine whether they will be able to procure another machine in a short time to meet the needs of the clinic.
