Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 22, 2015 News
The Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is a section of the institution where one would think one can access
speedy treatment. However this was not the case for 21-year-old Abbena Gents, who suffers from a chronic heart condition.
Twenty-four hours after arriving at the GPHC, Gents and her mother, Ama Khan, were still awaiting treatment from health officials at the public hospital when Kaieteur News arrived late yesterday morning.
After complaining of a fever, diarrhea and cold sweats at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), Gents, in the company of her mother, was transferred to the GPHC at around 11:00hrs.
According to Khan, her daughter had been going to the GPHC clinic for a number of years after she was diagnosed with a chronic heart condition at the age of 10.
Gents was eventually able to live a relatively normal life since her diagnosis. She became a teacher and attended College. But a resurgence of her chronic condition has caused her to recently quit her job and discontinue her studies.
When Gents’ condition worsenedshe was taken to the hospital.
“After she start complaining of fever, diarrhea and night sweats West Demerara Regional Hospital transferred her to GPHC,” recounted Khan. “We thought her problem got worse because she couldn’t even walk up the stairs.”
Due to her inability to walk properly, Gents was relegated to a wheelchair while at the hospital.
In the meantime, as the mother and daughter awaited treatment at from the unit, Khan said that her daughter began to complain of back pain in addition to her previous ailments.
This newspaper understands that Gents received treatment for her back pain, with health officials saying that she contracted an infection while at WDRH. However, Khan related that her daughter was still not treated for her heart condition.
After being confined to a wheelchair for most of the day, Khan said that her daughter needed to lie down. However there were not enough beds in the Emergency Unit to accommodate her. As a result Gents was forced to sleep on her mother’s lap, on the benches outside the Unit.
In addition to the long waiting time, the concerned mother complained of the treatment she received from staff whenever she inquired about treatment for her daughter.
“Whenever I’d go in to see if my daughter could get through sooner the guard or one of them in there would chase me out,” said Khan, who eventually stopped asking questions and decided to wait. She even asked a doctor about treatment for her daughter, but said that his help was limited.
“All I want for my daughter is to get into a ward, so she can be comfortable and get the treatment she needs,” related the distressed mother “because you know I can’t leave my daughter.”
Meanwhile, Rukmini Jairam of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, told this newspaper that her mother has been waiting for treatment in the Emergency Unit for three days. The concerned daughter says that she has been back and forth with family members but has not been any closer to receiving treatment for her mother since their arrival.
Kaieteur News was unable to obtain a comment concerning the long waiting time at the Emergency Unit from GPHC officials.
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