Death of Guyanese Tourist in Trinidad…

Relatives says…What’s the purpose of

Caricom if Guyanese are denied medical

attention

 
“What’s the purpose of Caricom, if Guyanese are denied medical attention?”
This was the lament yesterday from relatives of Jeetindra Sookram, the Guyanese tourist Sookram who died in Trinidad on Thursday after being refused emergency medical attention at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.
Sookram who apparently suffered a massive heart attack later succumbed while being taken to another medical institution on Thursday.
In a brief telephone interview with Kaieteur News, Sookram’s aunt, Shanta Persaud, expressed outrage at which Sookram was treated.
“Guyana is part of Caricom….matter a fact we are one of the founding countries, so after all these years this is how we getting treat.”
Ms. Persaud said she found it hard to believe that medical personnel treated Sookram in that manner.
“Anybody comes to Guyana and get free health care…we don’t turn away anybody.”
She explained that relatives have already made arrangements to have the body brought back to Guyana for burial.
Persaud said that her nephew never showed prior signs of having a heart ailment. A post mortem examination is expected to be conducted today.
Meanwhile the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that they were “deeply concerned” over the reported incident in which Guyanese national Jeetindra Sookram was refused emergency medical attention at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.
According to the Ministry, the Honorary Consul General of Guyana in Trinidad and Tobago Mr. Ernie Ross has requested the Minister of Health the Honourable Fuad Khan to investigate the report.
“The minister has assured that the matter is already under investigation and has reaffirmed the principle that no one should ever be refused emergency medical attention at any hospital” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
It was noted that the ministry will be aggressively pursuing the matter with the authorities in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Trinidad Guardian had reported that Sookram was later rushed to the Charlieville Medical Centre Ltd for treatment, but died in the back seat of a Nissan Navarra in the private clinic’s Caroni Savannah Road, Chaguanas car park on Thursday. Doctors there said his symptoms suggested he suffered a massive heart attack, as he had complained about severe chest pains.
“I think it is negligence that caused him to not have a chance. I can’t understand how tourists can come into this country and get treated like this,” Sookram’s partner, Vidya Baichu, told the T&T Guardian yesterday. Baichu, a farmer from the Guyanese island of Wakenaam and Sookram, had been on a two-week vacation and were staying at their friend Melissa Deosaran’s Warren Road, Cunupia home.
Chairman of the North Central Regional Health Authority, Shehenaz Mohammed, has since instructed CEO Kumar Boodram to check the roster to identify which workers were on duty when the incident occurred. The incident comes weeks after baby Simeon Cottle’s death five hours after his mother Quelly Ann Cottle, underwent a C-section at the Mt. Hope Women’s Hospital.
Telling of the tragedy while waiting outside the San Fernando mortuary yesterday, Baichu said they were talking at Deosaran’s Central workplace around 7.30 am when he complained of a slight pain. Deosaran had taken them there because she had to drop something off. Baichu said she gave Sookram two painkillers, believing he may have been tired from travelling, but it did not help.
“He could not sit and he could not stand because the pain was getting to him more. It kept getting worse so we took him to the hospital (EWMSC),” Baichu said. “When we got there, I went in with him and they took him straight to the place where they took blood and did tests.  When I went to register him now, they asked for ID and I gave them his passport. They told me he is not a Trinidadian resident and so all the services we would have to pay for it.”
“We asked them how much was the cost, they said they were not able to say, but whatever service they do we would have to pay for it.”
In the meantime, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guyana has requested that the bereaved family members make contact with Mr. Ross at the Guyana Consulate at 16 Gray Street, St Clair, Port of Spain or on telephone number 868-622-2913.

And the problem is that people in the "richer" CARICOM (Trinidad, Barbados, Antigua, and The Bahamas) are tired of people from the poorer countries (Guyana, St Vincent, Dominica, Haiti, and Jamaica) arriving in their countries and burdening their healthcare systems while not paying income tax.  Hence the reaction of the staff.

There needs to be a protocol about how to deal with tourists who have an emergency.  There also needs to be a communication to hospital workers that CARICOM people can be tourists too.

But Guyanese need to get off the notion that CARICOM is a cow which they can milk but not feed.