Diamond Hospital Doctors and Nurses on “go slow” over security concerns and poor working conditions

Earlier today, the doctors and nurses started a sit in action at the hospital, refusing to work until their concerns are addressed. Within hours, a number of Health Ministry officials and Regional officials visited the hospital and started to meet with staff members to hear their concerns. 

Diamond Hospital Doctors and Nurses on “go slow” over security concerns and poor working conditions

Guyanese Doctors and Nurses attached to the Diamond Hospital are pressing the Ministry of Public Health to look into their security concerns.

The calls come in wake of a recent attack on medical staff of the hospital by relatives of a patient, who was rushed to the hospital in an unresponsive state and pronounced dead by Doctors.

Following the incident, the medical staff of the hospital wrote a two-page letter to the Health Minister and Regional and District Health officials, but they fear the matter is not being treated with any urgency.

Earlier today, the doctors and nurses started a sit in action at the hospital, refusing to work until their concerns are addressed. Within hours, a number of Health Ministry officials and Regional officials visited the hospital and started to meet with staff members to hear their concerns.

The medical staff expressed the need for more security and better working conditions. They raised issue over the Police in the area taking a long time to respond, whenever there may be a security breach at the hospital.

Specific reference was made to the recent case, when a woman was rushed to the hospital and immediately attended to by Doctors. However, the Doctors found no heartbeat, no pulse, no breathing, no blood pressure and no sign of life.

The woman was pronounced dead.

Moments after, one of her male relatives, rushed into the hospital and created havoc, grabbing a young medical intern by the collar and shaking him while other medical staff members were forced to dash for cover.

They complained that the Police never arrived until more than 30 minutes after they were summoned and when they did, the attitude was to get the medical team to drop the story rather than to launch an investigation.

But the Doctors also complained that there are other major issues facing the health institution. According to the complaint letter, the hospital is greatly understaffed and is in need of equipment to assist the medical teams to do their work.

From bad lighting and poor air conditioning to no proper accommodation for doctors who are on call, the staff at the Diamond Hospital believe that the situation is at its boiling point and may soon overflow into a major storm, if their concerns are not addressed.

They are hoping that the Health Ministry will move with some alacrity to address the issues that they have raised.

 

 

 

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