Doctors in South only seeing dying

We arrived about 8.50 pm and the triage nurse saw him.

Afterwards we waited until the change of shift at 10 pm.

A male doctor started calling names and ordering X-rays, blood tests etc.

The doctor looked at my client’s results and said it was not urgent as he was not dying and he would have to wait. The hours kept slipping by without any doctor examining him. After 3 am without seeing a doctor, we left.

During our wait there were a few doctors around. The department was busy, there were lots of patients on beds and trolleys. What was upsetting was that the doctor said they were seeing the sick and dying. They kept passing patients who were able to sit. A woman was sitting on a chair for so long that she had a seizure which lasted over five minutes. They hurried her to a bed.

Another woman in distress asked the doctor, “If something burst in me, what will you do?” His reply was, “I will do your vitals.” A male patient who had come by ambulance from the Siparia Health Centre had a drip attached to him as he on a chair. He said he was waiting since 2 pm. He was obviously fed up but couldn’t do better.

At 3 am he still had not been examined by a doctor.

A female patient about 80 plus years asked for a drink of water. The doctor asked her if she could sit up to drink water, instead of asking a nurse to give the patient some water.

Apparently she was left there by relatives and was not able to answer questions.

My concern was if there were five doctors present, couldn’t one have been assigned to see non-critical patients instead of them waiting over 13 hours to see a doctor? I wonder if the patient from Siparia had supper or a drink? I would like the Minister of Health to go to the hospital incognito and see the kind of treatment meted out to citizens.

It’s a shame and disgrace and some of the doctors have attitude because you are dependent on them. However, the old people had a saying, “One day, one day, congotay”, meaning their time will come too.

M FLOYD San Fernando