Indifferent health care

The shunting around from one public hospital to another of Jonathan Belix, who suffered a broken leg in a vehicular accident on August 29 and died two days later should be investigated by Minister of Health, John Rahael. Minister Rahael should seek to find out why Belix, aged 22, was taken on a merry go round, and he should begin by investigating why there were no doctors on duty at the Arima health facility when Belix was taken there early in the afternoon of August 29 with a broken leg shortly after a pick-up truck reportedly slammed into the vehicle in which he was travelling. There are too many questions which demand answers.

Why did Jonathan Belix, after having been referred from the Arima health facility to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital have to wait two hours before an X-ray could be performed, and then have to wait after being warded before a doctor could examine his leg? And then only to discover that there were no doctors available and qualified to attend to his broken leg? Why were there no qualified doctors at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) available to attend to Belix? In turn, did any staff member at the Arima health facility, who saw Belix when he was taken there contact the Port-of-Spain hospital to alert medical personnel there that a patient with a broken leg was being referred to the hospital?

If this was done, why was he not rushed to the hospital’s X-ray Department and his father, John Belix, who accompanied him, not told immediately that he could not be treated because no doctor, capable of attending to his distress, was available? Health Minister Rahael should seek to find out why the medication, which was determined as needed for Belix was not available, and why was he referred to a private hospital, the St Clair Medical Complex, instead of an effort made to find out whether the Eric Williams Medical Complex, to which he was eventually taken, had the medication in stock. When Belix was taken to the St Clair Medical Complex, it was after 8 pm, and the medical supply department was closed.

Minister Rahael should require that any inquiry into the incident seek to find out why was it necessary for employees of the Ministry of Health, collectively, to take more than seven hours to discover there were no qualified doctors available at PoSGH to treat Belix? In addition, within that long period, why had the authorities not found it possible to have at least one such doctor on duty to attend to a man with a broken leg. Why was the courtesy not extended to Belix by hospital staff of contacting the St Clair Medical Complex, prior to his being sent there, and inquiring not only if the private hospital had the medication, but whether it would have been available at that time of the evening.

An autopsy performed on Belix’s body has found that the young man died from an embolism — a blockage of a blood vessel as a result of a blood clot or air bubbles. Any investigation into Jonathan Belix’ death must seek to discover whether the blood clot could have been avoided and a life saved. The question that follows is: Was Belix properly diagnosed? It was troubling to see several members of Jonathan Belix’ family having to demonstrate at the Arima health facility on Sunday, demanding an explanation for the indifferent health care their young relative received at public hospitals. Newsday is certain that its readers and other citizens share their concern and would be interested in the findings of any public inquiry.