Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 22, 2011 News
-hospital staff struggle to cope
One of the most challenging jobs at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is providing accommodation for the influx of patients who visit this hospital on a daily basis.
Owing to the fact that the GPHC offers services free of cost, a large percentage of the general public frequent this institution and more often than not have to be admitted in the wards for various reasons.
Kaieteur News understands that in the “Post-Natal Ward,” for example, new mothers are often discharged from the hospital yet their babies still remain.
There are cases where some mothers refuse to return to their homes and opt to remain in the hospital until their babies are also discharged.
This causes a great inconvenience for the GPHC since space is already limited in its wards.
One mother told this newspaper that she gave birth on August 5 to premature twin boys at the GPHC.
Both boys were placed in incubators from the time of their birth and their mother was discharged shortly after.
“I am not leaving here without my babies! I don’t care if they have to be here six months and all I am staying here. My babies are in incubators and sick and they can’t expect me to leave without them! Long ago they had rooms for us mothers to stay until we babies get release but now it don’t have proper place for we. I does pay tax and is tax money that does spend here too” stated the woman.
She further stated that this was her second pregnancy at the GPHC, the first being five years ago, where she delivered a six month premature baby.
“When I had my first pregnancy I had a six month baby right here and was discharged while my baby was still here. I had to be in this hospital three months after and it had room and space right here, so I don’t know why this would be an issue now”, she added.
According to another mother, she has been admitted at the GPHC since July 23, after being referred by the West Demerara Regional Hospital.
On July 22, she delivered a “six and a half month premature” baby boy, and her child required additional care and treatment which is why she was sent to the GPHC.
“My baby was two weeks less than seven months when I got here. I can’t leave without my child. Not only because I am his mother, but he is not that healthy. There are two nurses here on the night shift and so many babies that need special care and attention. The nurses too become tired and need help. Is every three hours we does got to feed our babies. A little over a week ago there were 24 babies in here with limited nurses. They need help,” said this mother.
The mothers told Kaieteur News that there is a special “feeding process” which the babies must go through. It basically means that as long as the babies do not “absorb the amount of feed required” they cannot be discharged.
A number of questions were asked by these mothers concerning the outcome if they should return to their homes and have to visit their babies at the GPHC.
“If we have to travel who will pay the transportation? If we are single parents who will bear the expenses? How would people who aren’t mothers understand what we are saying? If we go and something happens due to negligence here what will happen to us? Once we are here we can assist the nurses with our babies but if we are not then what will happen?” questioned the mothers.
According to the GPHC, there are several patients (mothers) who have been discharged and still remain at the hospital, however; the figure fluctuates since more are admitted and some who are discharged do eventually leave.
If such an issue remains this way it will prove more difficult for the hospital in providing accommodation for other mothers and cases since space would be the problem at hand.
It is hoped that patients throughout the hospital understand that when they are discharged, they are expected to return home, so as to allow space for other patients who need medical attention.
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