There’s still hope at Mount Hope

THE EDITOR: After enduring a brief episode of being discharged from the Port-of-Spain General Hospital with a life-threatening ailment, I was later on referred to the thoracic surgery unit at the Mount Hope Hospital. After reviewing the same chest x-ray that the doctors in the Port-of-Spain General Hospital reviewed, the doctors at the Thoracic Surgical Unit immediately went into action.

The first question that was asked of me by the beautiful receiving nurse after reviewing the referral letter was, “Where’s the ambulance that brought you here and why aren’t you in a wheel chair?” After assuring her that I was discharged from Port-of-Spain General in my condition and was told to visit the Unit, I was immediately placed in a wheel chair and escorted to a bed where a tube was professionally inserted into my side to assist in my breathing. I was discharged from the Port-of-Spain General with a collapsed lung. I had felt a pain on the left of my chest a week and a half earlier and I was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital in an ambulance. A heart attack was ruled out after further examination and I was told that I should come back in a week or so for an X-ray even though I had complained that day of having short of breath.

A week later when I returned for the X-ray, the doctor who looked at the X-ray told me that he was sure that I had a collapsed lung but that I should visit the clinic the next day because he wanted some of his superiors to “have a look at the X-ray to be certain that he was correct.” The next day it was decided that my lung had in fact collapsed and the doctor immediately wrote a referral note for me to take to Mount Hope hospital. He also reminded me that I should take some clothes “in case they may want to admit me.” He was not sure they would. I want to take the opportunity to thank the doctors, nurses, nurse’s aides and workers at the Thoracic Surgical Unit for the professional work and conduct that they exemplified. They essentially saved my life and I am very grateful. I couldn’t ask for more kind-hearted and beautiful people as the people I met at the Unit. The nurses are terrific. Again I want to say thank you for a job well done. If I’m ever to be hospitalised again, I know that there’s still hope at Mount Hope. I cannot honestly say this about the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Thank you.

QUEELY RICHARDSON
Port-of-Spain