ERHA board members face angry public

Health institutions falling under the ERHA include the Sangre Grande Hospital, Mayaro Hospital and Health Centres in Valencia, Coryal, Cumuto, Cumana, Toco, Rio Claro, Grande Riviere, Matelot and Manzanilla.

Some of the grievances made against the ERHA institutions included: an lack of dressings for wounds, an inefficient ambulance service, unavailability of medication after 4 pm and no maternity delivery facilities at the Mayaro Hospital and the Health Centres, exorbitant fees for ultrasounds and the excessive waiting period for medical rests.

Newly appointed ERHA chief executive officer Ronald Tsoi-a-Fatt and board members George Hadeed, Faiz Khan, Michelle Joy Cato, Jacklin Lisper- Phillip, Laura Khan and Leo Alleyne all faced the public’s wrath at the meeting.

Brenda Mills of Cumana reported that a patient died because she did not get the necessary dressings at the Cumana Health Centre.

In fact, Mills said, that patient was seen with plastic bags tied around two gangrenous infections to her legs. That woman died about two weeks ago. A resident of Toco complained about his wife’s death. He blamed the absence of an oxygen tank and the length of time they had to wait for an ambulance as the main indirect causes of his wife’s death.

The group Women in Progress (WIP) complained about the lack of delivery rooms at the health centres located in rural communities and the hardships many pregnant women had to endure. The group added that many were forced to deliver their babies in the back of cars and vans, since the distance from their rural homes to the Sangre Grande Hospital (which is outfitted with delivery rooms) was too far. Manzanilla councillor Bharath Lochan expressed his surprise when Tsoi-a-Fatt said refurbishing work was about to start at Sangre Grande Hospital, especially when it was announced by government that a new hospital was to be built.

Tsoi-a-Fatt himself had a story to tell in that, according to him, he had to stop and chastise an ambulance driver who was seen "pulling bull" (illegally using a vehicle for hire) with the ambulance.

He added that in his opinion, no money was missing from the ERHA and that it was his responsibility to ensure the upgrade of health facilities. Tsoi-a Fatt promised the residents that all problems would be noted and where possible, alleviated.