Patients shout ... HELP! at hospital
PERSONS waiting in the Accident and Emergency Department of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) shouted complaints about the long hours they were waiting for treatment as the Commissioner of Inquiry into the operation and delivery of public health care services took a tour of the various departments of the SFGH yesterday. The Commission, which was chaired by Yvonne Pilgrim, who deputised for chairwoman — retired High Court Justice Gladys Gaffoor — heard the frustrated complaints and grumbling from persons at the AE Department. "I waiting here since 7 o’clock this morning," one woman shouted impatiently as she sat among the crowd that filled every seat in the Casualty Department. "Like they forget we here!" was the cry of a male patient as he bent his head in despair and pain. Head of the AE Department, Dr Stephen Ramroop, told the commission that the public needed to be informed about the prioritising of the patient care at the department while recommending a public address system in the department. "We deal with very angry and aggressive persons every day," Dr Ramroop told the group. "A lot of time persons sit here scared and angry and it is simply because they are not informed. If they get information and we keep in touch with them they will understand the system better," said Ramroop. The doctor said there was also a need to acquire a support staff for the nurses, with NGO’s such as Red Cross, which could ease the workload of the nurses. When the commission visited the Resuscitation Room, there were no trolleys in the section. A senior nurse in the department explained that some patients had to be admitted into the wards with the trolleys and wheelchairs, when beds were not available. Asked by commission secretary, Patrick Edwards, if the problem was a lack of beds on the wards, Ramroop said the core of the problem was the need for an improvement in the management. "It is not just the beds, but how the beds are managed," Ramroop said. "The discharge of persons is a continuous process, not just a morning after process." The commission also visited the laboratories, the mortuary and the workshops on the compound of SFGH. The inquiry will continue on Thursday at the nurses lounge of the SFGH, when it is expected to receive recommendations for improvements of the various departments by the heads of department.
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"Patients shout … HELP! at hospital"