The family of Rawndel Clementson, a renowned national powerlifting champion of Farm, East Bank Demerara, is calling for a thorough investigation into the operations of the Diamond Regional Hospital, holding the medical facility responsible for his untimely demise.
This tragic loss comes less than a month after the powerlifting fraternity mourned the passing of Nigel Phillips, another esteemed powerlifter.
Clementson, 44, passed away on Tuesday at Diamond Hospital, shortly after 3:00H. He had arrived at the hospital around 2:00H, complaining of feeling unwell. According to his wife, Oslyn Richards, Clementson drove himself to the hospital and entered the facility walking on his own.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Clementson informed the nurses and doctors about his difficulty breathing and dizziness, requesting an oxygen mask. However, the hospital staff reportedly responded with an attitude, speaking harshly and claiming to have protocols that could not be influenced.
Despite the urgency of Clementson’s condition, he was instructed to wait while seated. While waiting, he allegedly fainted and fell off the chair, hitting his head. He reportedly succumbed to his injuries while lying on the floor.
Richards recounted the harrowing experience, stating that when her husband fell to the ground, she called for assistance. The hospital staff allegedly stated that he was too heavy to be lifted, causing Richards to seek help from a security guard and call their son to assist in lifting him. However, the nurse rudely walked away.
“I took out my phone to record, and they asked me to leave. About 20 minutes later, they called me in and said they couldn’t detect a pulse. I begged them to do more and started praying,” Richards said.
Throughout the ordeal, Clementson was left lying on the floor, and Richards had to call their children to help lift his lifeless body onto a bed. Richards expressed her profound distress, describing the experience at the hospital as horrific.
She accused the hospital staff of rudeness and a lack of care, urging the authorities to thoroughly investigate her husband’s death and address the alleged misconduct at the medical facility.
“They had nobody to lift him and put him on the bed… I need someone to look into this and hold those nurses accountable. If they don’t take action, this will continue. We are losing lives every day… they were calm while the family was in distress… it was as if it was just another dead body, and they went about their business,” she expressed.
The suddenness of Clementson’s death shocked his family, as he had been working the day before and seemed fine. A postmortem examination conducted on Wednesday revealed that his cause of death was complications arising from high blood pressure.
However, efforts to obtain comments from officials at the Ministry of Health regarding the matter have been unsuccessful thus far.
In April 2021, the Diamond Hospital underwent significant renovations, totaling over $200 million, in order to operate as a Smart Health Care Facility. However, according to the family, this recent tragedy has brought the hospital’s standards of care into question, highlighting the need for a comprehensive review of its operations to ensure the well-being and safety of patients.
