Missing mom

The Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Mt Hope is being accused of poor record keeping after the relative of a patient who died at the facility, on April 1, said she was given a run around in finding the body although it was at the mortuary for more than a month.

In an interview yesterday, Avaria Ramjohn, said her mother Carol was taken to the Priority Care Facility (PCF) on March 31 after complaining of chest pains while waiting for a friend at a house at Beetham Gardens, Port-of-Spain.

Ramjohn telephoned the PCF and a health worker said her mother’s name was on a document but could not say if she was warded. Three days later, Ramjohn went to the PCF but was told there was no record of anyone with her mother’s name.

Ramjohn said she saw an article in Newsday on May 5 listing the names of people whose bodies were unclaimed at the mortuary. One of them was named Carol Ramoutar. She subsequently went to the mortuary to see if the body was that of her mother’s but was referred back to the PCF. Last Monday, Ramjohn said a friend assisted in getting her into the mortuary and that was how she discovered her 46-year-old mother had been there since April 1.

“Her eyes were open. They did not even close her eyes. Her mouth was open and there were some flies in the refrigerator. It was very unpleasant,” Ramjohn said. Her mother’s name and address were listed. The published name was not hers. Ramjohn found out her mother had died at the thoracic surgical ward.

When she went to get a death certificate at the ward for the body to be released, Ramjohn said she was advised that an autopsy had to be done before she could get a death certificate.

“I asked what is the sense. She already died. They could put on the death certificate what she died of. I did not care. I just wanted to bury my mother” Ramjohn said.

Ramjohn said she spent three days calling the EWMSC to find out about the autopsy. “They still did not do it. They put whatever she came in with and that was it.” Ramjohn, who lives in Sea Lots, Port-of-Spain, a short distance from her mother, said when she was first told that the EWMSC had no record of her mother being treated, she went to the Besson Street Police Station and gave a missing person report. This happened in early April.

She claimed the body in time, since the Friendly Society was preparing to bury the bodies of people who have not been claimed including her mother. Ramjohn buried her mother last Saturday. An EWMSC mortician told Newsday four bodies were taken by the society. Two were claimed by relatives and three others (including two that have not been identified) await burial. Newsday faxed a list of questions to the EWMSC’s communications department but did not get any replies yesterday.