Ex-chairman: 'SWRHA shooting the messenger'

Former chairman of the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) Dr Lackram Bodoe is accusing officials of "shooting the messenger" by suspending the privileges of a visiting doctor.

This was an attempt to "hide the many unsafe and high-risk practices that seem to have become the norm at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH), with patients paying the ultimate price," Bodoe said.

In a media release on Thursday, Bodoe said there are many questions to be answered over the suspension.

He asked,"Why (were) the practising privileges of the doctor suspended after he spoke of the many problems that he encountered at the San Fernando General Hospital? Is it that the SWRHA is attempting to silence him in the hope that the issues he highlighted are not brought to light?"

On Tuesday in a media release the SWRHA announced the suspension as it investigates a possible breach of confidentiality. It referred to a recently deleted social media post by the foreign-based doctor commenting on the operations and institutional capacity at the SFGH.

Bodoe said the organisation must investigate the revelations made, "instead of trying to silence him."

The former chairman said, "It is noted that whilst there are were only six Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds available at the SFGH, provisions were made years ago at the Couva Children’s Hospital for additional adults and paediatric ICU beds.

"Why are these ICU and other beds at the Couva Children's Hospital are not being utilised for the benefit of sick and ailing citizens?"

The visiting neurosurgeon from Florida, Bodoe said, highlighted several issues. One relates to "a very backward practice" of operating-room staff not wearing face masks while doing surgery. Another was several staff members not showing up for work on Christmas Day.

The doctor also spoke of aflood of patients who had been waiting for weeks and months for urgent surgery for life-threatening conditions such as spinal-cord injuries and brain tumours, Bodoe said.

"His observation that ‘patients simply being left to die, become paralysed and go blind from treatable diseases as a result of negligence’ is frightening and demands urgent attention," Bodoe said.

The SWRHA, under the watch of Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, has changed CEO four times in the past four years, he said.

"One has to wonder whether these issues are arising because of poor governance and lack of oversight at the level of the board and senior management of the SWRHA?"

He called on the minister to investigate all the complaints urgently "instead of allowing the SWRHA board to sweep this complaint under the carpet at the risk of the well-being of the public."