Family of late firefighter to sue GPHC

Apr 05, 2025 News

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….. demands hospital takes full accountability

Kaieteur News- The grieving family of late firefighter Voshaun Manbodh, who succumbed to injuries sustained during the Mae’s School fire, will be moving to court against the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The family is demanding that the hospital take full accountability for the circumstances surrounding Manbodh’s death.

Twenty-seven-year-old Manbodh was injured while battling a fire at Mae’s School in Subryanville on March 5, 2025. He was admitted to the GPHC, where he died several days later.

The firefighter’s emotional mother, Deon Anderson, told Kaieteur News that the family has decided to file legal actions against the hospital and demanded a change in the facility’s system. “We are going to file a lawsuit against the hospital. It is not just about the Voshuan, but every citizen, and we would like the public to help us with this journey,” Anderson stated.

The family has expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of medical care Manbodh received at the institution. They said improper care led to his deterioration and ultimate death.

An independent investigation by the hospital did not find any individual or department accountable for the tragedy.

GPHC said, “While the findings highlight systemic gaps that contributed to this unfortunate outcome, they do not suggest intentional negligence or wrongdoing by any individual or department.” The hospital further stated that Manbodh’s death was not solely due to the injuries sustained in the fire, but complex complications arising from his acute trauma in conjunction with underlying disease. “The investigative panel concluded that Mr. Manbodh passed away due to a known secondary complication of traumatic injuries—multiple bleeding ulcers.”

However, in a statement issued on Friday, Manbodh’s family expressed grave dissatisfaction with the findings by GPHC, which it said “dilutes responsibility, buries accountability, and discredits the lived experiences of Voshaun Manbodh and his family while he was under the care of the hospital.” The family added, “This is a deliberate attempt to control the narrative, distance the institution from culpability, minimise the gross and systemic failures and the personal accountability that contributed directly to the death of our son, our brother, a colleague – a national firefighter injured in the line of duty.”

The family said GPHC’s statement is disingenuous and misleading, citing differentiation in findings between the Medical Director Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran and GPHC’s official statement. “Multiple news outlets, including News Source Guyana, quoted senior hospital officials acknowledging the findings of the investigative panel, which confirmed ‘several systemic errors on the part of the hospital and its staff.’ Yet, in a complete pivot, the GPHC now states there was ‘no medical negligence or wrongdoing.’ How does GPHC reconcile the existence of systemic errors, admitted by their own medical director, with a conclusion of no negligence or wrongdoing?” the family questioned.

The family strongly challenged the hospital’s statement, which claimed that Manbodh’s death was not solely due to the injuries he sustained in the fire, but rather from “complex complications arising from his acute trauma in conjunction with underlying disease.” The family strongly refuted this, stating, “Let it be stated emphatically and on record: there is no documented medical history of any chronic illness in Voshaun Manbodh’s records prior to his admission. At what point did the hospital diagnose or treat this ‘chronic disease’ it now references posthumously? Why is it mentioned only now, in a public statement clearly aimed at mitigating liability?”

The family also expressed outrage at the premature release of the autopsy findings before the medical certificate of cause of death was finalized. “It is deeply troubling, and frankly, unacceptable, that the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) would publicly release conclusions of an autopsy in the absence of a finalized medical certificate of cause of death, or any legally binding documentation,” they said.

The family said the hospital acted outside its legal authority by distributing information to the public regarding Manbodh’s death without their knowledge or consent. They have also accused the GPHC of choosing silence, delay, and public posturing over basic decency, compassion, and transparency.

The family pledges to continue its legal fight until there is full disclosure, meaningful reform, and genuine accountability, assuring that “We will not rest. We owe Voshaun Manbodh that much. The people of Guyana owe him that much.”

To support their legal battle, the family has set up a GoFundMe page for donations. Those wishing to contribute can do so via the following link: https://gofund.me/f454778c  or through MMG at 618 6168.

Voshaun Manbodh was laid to rest on March 29, 2025. However, his family continues to mourn his loss while seeking justice.

(Family of late firefighter to sue GPHC)

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