Psychiatric Ward murder…

Aug 05, 2008 News

Hospital awaiting official report

A senior official of the Georgetown Public Hospital has stated that the administration is awaiting an official report on last Saturday’s incident, and that disciplinary action would be taken.

According to the official, an official report on the incident, which led to a female patient strangling another in the Psychiatric Ward on Saturday, is expected some time today. The post mortem result is also expected to be handed over to the hospital officials later today.

While, from all indications, the hospital is waiting for the report to make an official statement on the issue, the senior official said, the major concern is that there were nurses on duty and they saw nothing.

“We had two nurses on the ward and we are concerned over the fact that they heard nothing, and, from reports, they knew nothing until after the woman had died,” the official noted.

According to the official, it is highly likely that disciplinary action would be taken against those found guilty of negligence.

Meanwhile, a source close to the investigation has stated that the administration is also awaiting a report from a doctor, after which they will decide on the way forward as to whether or not charges would be laid.

The source says that if the woman who strangled Natasha Vieira is certified mentally ill, then charges would not be laid; and if not, then she will be made to face the consequences.

A post mortem examination that was performed on Vieira’s remains revealed that she died of asphyxiation due to manual strangulation and blunt trauma to her head.

Natasha Vieira was strangled with a piece of cloth by another patient of the Psychiatric Ward at some time around 4:00 hours on Saturday, after the same woman had beaten her.

Another patient of the ward brought the incident to the nurses’ attention, but there was apparently no action by the nurses.

Sources said that Natasha was strangled on her bed, dragged into the bathroom, and left under the shower for almost half an hour. Another patient went to the bathroom and turned off the shower.

At that point, the woman who strangled Natasha went back to the bathroom and dragged her back to her bed.