The AFC/PNC are suddenly concerned with Indian lives. In the past the only good Indian was a dead one. Now they use this poor woman's death for political mileage.
Berbice woman’s death attracts Opposition’s attention
By Abena Rockcliffe
Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, was questioned during the last sitting of the National Assembly about the circumstances surrounding the death of 47-year-old Tirtawattie Shoandeo whose demise was associated with a 17-minute power outage.
Initial questions were raised by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Annette Ferguson, but the matter attracted supplementary questions raised by other members of the Opposition.
Recently, Shoandeo, of Whim, Corentyne, reportedly died during a blackout in the operating room at that facility.
The woman’s relatives stated that they searched for the porter to start-up the hospital generator, but to no avail.
They also claimed that the doctors turned to torchlights and cell phones as light sources. Power was restored some time later but that Shoandeo was pronounced dead.
A post mortem done on her remains revealed that the woman died of septicemia and perforated duodenal ulcer.
The family arrived at the conclusion that the doctors’ inability to see properly during the blackout caused their loved one to die.
Just last week, Dr. Ramsaran pronounced that it was totally unacceptable that the generator at the New Amsterdam Hospital did not kick-in immediately after a blackout during a crucial surgery, even though the hospital management may have very well known that the generator switch was non- functional.
However, yesterday, before answering questions, Dr. Ramsaran sought to inform the National Assembly that the woman did not die during surgery but some time later.
The Minister told the National Assembly that Shoandeo was admitted to the hospital with a very “serious” condition.
Despite the fact that she died, Dr. Ramsaran told Members of the National Assembly that his doctors did “good work.”
The Minister was asked by Ferguson to inform the National Assembly about the reasons surrounding the malfunction of the generators. He responded that an investigation has been launched.
He also said that it is a “fairly” new generator but the Ministry, even after addressing whatever may have caused the malfunction, will put a system in place whereas human resources will be used to manually turn on the switch if need be.
Another question was also raised as to what disciplinary action may be taken against the porter/ attendant who couldn’t have been found.
To that, the minister responded that the attendant is at the lowest level in the line of command and shouldn’t be penalized or blamed before a thorough investigation is conducted into the matter.
Dr. George Norton, APNU Member of Parliament, on the call of a supplementary question questioned the Minister about how long he would have known that there were serious shortcomings at the Hospital.
Dr. Ramsaran eventually said, “It doesn’t matter how long; point is that that should have been the case and now I know about it and it is being dealt with.”
APNU Member of Parliament, Desmond Trotman, also queried, “To what extent did the 17-minute blackout affect the patient?
When will an independent investigation be carried out as opposed to investigations that are carried out by the Minister himself?”
However, Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman said that the standing orders only permit two supplementary questions without notice. He also opined that if “we carry on at this rate the investigation will be done this afternoon, instead.”