A doctor attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), who was detained for allegedly setting a fire at the facility in January, has been fired for misconduct.
This publication was informed that the person in question has been dismissed with immediate effect. After a hearing was facilitated last week, the hospital made its decision to terminate the services of the male employee.
Since December 31, 2021, he was sent on leave pending an investigation into a sexual harassment complaint levied against him by another staffer. One day later, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s (GPHC) echocardiography laboratory was set afire – an inferno which was later contained but resulted in major damages.
A review of security footage showed the doctor in the hospital’s compound moments before the fire erupted. He was reportedly seen acting in a suspicious manner, and when questioned, gave conflicting reports regarding his purpose at the institution at that time, when he was already sent home. Over $20 million in equipment was damaged in the blaze.
He was granted bail in a substantial sum after being grilled by investigators.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony had said that the destruction of the equipment will compromise the institution’s cardiac programme. In fact, he stated that the disruption to services offered at the echocardiography laboratory can last for months, as authorities seek to procure new equipment.
It was reported that at the time of the fire, there were at least 11 patients in the vicinity – seven in the cardiac Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and four in another ICU. They were all evacuated to safety.
“Certainly, there would be some amount of disruption, perhaps for a couple of months as we get that new piece of machine in place. These machines, obviously, will have to come from one of the manufactures abroad and to bring them into Guyana, so doing that would take some time for us to be able to do that,” the Health Minister was quoted as saying following an inspection of the ruins.
With this issue closed, the nature of the fire is still being probed.
