By Tracey Khan – Drakes
[www.inewsguyana.com] –Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA), Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo has rejected claims that a patient died as a result of starvation at the New Amsterdam (NA) hospital on Wednesday, April 29. News of this development led to protest action in front of the health institution by concerned citizens and family members of the patient.
However, Dr. Mahadeo told iNews during a telephone interview that the patient was in a coma and died of natural causes.
“The said patient was in a comatose state for more than two days and if someone is in a coma, they don’t eat, she was having infusions and all the necessary medications intravenously, the condition of the patient was extremely critical from the admission on the 26 April,” Dr Mahadeo said.
The protestors also claimed that the in-patients, who are normally catered for by the hospital, were left without food for almost an entire day; however the CEO also refuted claims that spoiled vegetables were used in the preparation of meals for the in-patients.
He believes there was a miscommunication, since the vegetables were not of acceptable standards and were discarded, but reiterated that meals were prepared for patients at the hospital.
“The New Amsterdam kitchen discarded some greens that were not of acceptable standards, a fresh set was ordered and collected from the general stores, and this was subsequently prepared.”
He did admit that powered milk for adult in-patients were in short supply, which was due to supplier issues; however this issue was later resolved.
Dr. Mahadeo also spoke of the numerous improvements that have been made at the health institution, noting that, “we now have more trained staff in all departments, we have more equipment and a new neonatal intensive care department which is functioning and taking care of infants, more Guyanese doctors both general and specialist are available to manage patients.”
