EHS gets support in Dr Mahabir’s death

THE Pre-Hospital Care Providers’ Association (PCPA) yesterday supported the Emergency Health Service (EHS) contention that its ambulance crew was not called upon to resuscitate Dr Deepak Mahabir at his home last Friday before he died. But although the EHS, in its media release on Tuesday, steered clear on whether or not its ambulance crew provided oxygen-breathing apparatus when it was requested by Mahabir’s wife, Chandra Sinanan-Mahabir, the PCPA disclosed yesterday that a non-rebreather mask was in fact provided. The PCPA is the body which represents emergency technicians employed on EHS ambulances.

Mahabir died from a suspected asthma attack and his wife claimed that she repeatedly called on the EHS crew who responded to the emergency call at their Bel Air Gardens, La Romaine home, to provide the appropriate apparatus to resuscitate her husband. Sinanan-Mahabir threatened to report the matter to the Ministry of Health. The EHS statement issued on Tuesday laid the blame on an ambulance crew belonging to a private nursing home, which had also attended to the emergency call. The EHS’ role, the statement said, was confined to assisting the crew of the other ambulance in placing Mahabir into the ambulance (belonging to the private nursing home), “after which the EHS ambulance departed.”

The release makes no mention of its ambulance crew supplying any breathing apparatus, though that is the bone of contention in the concerns raised by Sinanan-Mahabir. Stating that it conducted its own private investigation on the matter, PCPA’s president Bickram Singh told Newsday yesterday that when health technicians responded to the call, an ambulance was already there. Singh said that no clinical examination was done on Mahabir by the EHS crew, but their role was not confined to assisting in lifting Mahabir to the private nursing home’s ambulance. Singh said: “A re-breather mask was requested and our crew supplied it. I suppose that the other ambulance had an oxygen tank to which such masks are connected for pumping air.” Told that the EHS’ release did not state that, Singh added: “As far as our independent investigation goes, a re-breather was given.” Singh agreed, however, with the EHS’ statement that all of its ambulances, which are currently servicing the country, are equipped with breathing apparatus including oxygen tanks.