A former patient of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is soon to take legal action against the facility, citing wilful neglect.
The husband of Onissa Bowling, 25, of Campbellville, Georgetown, reportedly contacted the Guyana Times newspaper to voice his frustration over the injustice that was meted out to his wife.
According to the man, in December of 2015, his wife was rushed to the Hospital in a very sick state. She was then tested by doctors there, treated for malaria which she never had, and sent home.
However, the woman’s health deteriorated and she was again rushed to the Hospital for further diagnosis.
When she arrived there, this time with abdominal pains, she was given an ultrasound where it was discovered that she suffered from gallstones.
A few days later, she was taken into surgery during which the gallstones were supposed to be removed.
The man further explained that when Bowling was sent into the recovery area, her condition continued to deteriorate.
An ultrasound was again done and doctors discovered that they missed a few of the gallstones and Bowling was again taken into surgery.
At this point, according to her husband, her condition was one that gave cause for great concern.
He said, “When we think that finally we can rest and that the worst was over, tragedy struck again.”
The man told the newspaper that Bowling’s health continued to deteriorate and the woman was continually crying out for abdominal pain.
When an inspection was done, the family was shocked to discover that doctors allegedly left gauze in the woman’s belly after her last surgery and this was causing her insides to become septic.
The angry relatives of Bowling, after becoming frustrated over what they described as “lackadaisical” behaviour of the Hospital’s doctors, transferred the woman to the St Joseph Mercy Hospital where she successfully underwent surgery to remove the gauze.
According to the husband, on numerous occasions while Bowling was at Georgetown Public Hospital, he, along with other family members, sought audiences with the administrators of the Hospital for an explanation, but the attempts were unsuccessful.
Bowling was said to be in the hospital for almost a year for a minor issue which could have been rectified but was not.
As such, the woman’s family has taken action, disclosing that in the coming week, a notice will be served to the Hospital for compensation.
Family members are also hoping that by doing this, they would expose the doctors of the facility and alert others as to what is currently transpiring at the GPHC.
When contact was made with GPHC’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mitzy Campbell on Sunday evening, she explained that the matter would be investigated and assured that details would be provided upon completion of the investigation.
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