...And the wait for surgery continues

Although the Health Ministry has established programmes to clear the backlog of surgical cases (hernia, cataract) at public health institutions, the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) is  scheduling appointments based on the old list, resulting in some people still having to wait a year for surgery. In an interview, Health Minister John Rahael assured Newsday that patients may not have to wait a year. “Obviously what is happening here is they are not taking into account the surgeries being done.”

He said the Health Ministry had a plan to deal with this problem. “We are working with waiting lists up to June 1 2005, and when that is completed, we will then look at all those who need to be done.” Fifty-year-old Joan Williams last week complained to Newsday that last year she was given an appointment for surgery next month at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital to treat an umbilical hernia. She was contacted by Westshore Medical in August to perform the surgery, but it could not be done because the size of her hernia required that she be hospitalised after surgery. Only same day surgery is being done under the Health Ministry’s programme.

When Williams returned to PoSGH thinking she could have the surgery at PoSGH as scheduled, she was told that there was no record of her appointment in November, and she was given a new date, September 15 2005. After Williams’ case was highlighted, the Health Ministry made efforts to assist, but there are other cases. Another woman contacted Newsday recently to complain about her attempts to get medical attention for heavy bleeding caused by a growth in her womb, after a diagnosis was made by her doctor. She was referred to the gynacecology clinic at PoSGH and given an appointment for June 2005. In another example, a 20-year-old man in need of corrective surgery for his eyes on Monday received an appointment for September 20 next year.