Family of nurse who died from COVID complications want full probe of operations of Lilliendaal Hospital

Nurse Vanessa Maynard passed away yesterday after more than 10 days as a patient at the hospital. She was admitted after testing positive for COVID-19 in late August.

Family of nurse who died from COVID complications want full probe of operations of Lilliendaal Hospital

The family of a 56-year-old nurse who died recently at the Lilliendaal COVID-19 Hospital after testing positive for Coronavirus wants a full investigation into the operations of the health institution and the way patients are being treated there.

Nurse Vanessa Maynard who worked at a private hospital in Georgetown, passed away yesterday after more than 10 days as a patient at the hospital. She was admitted after testing positive for COVID-19 in late August.

During a press conference today, the nurse’s family said they were in regular contact with her during the days that she was hospitalized and she painted a harrowing story of the situation at the hospital.

“Once she arrived at the hospital, there was no initial assessment done and no form of clinical documentation done, she was just put on a bed and that was it…it wasn’t until the next day when they came to do rounds, then they put her on oxygen”, the family member said.

One of her nieces, Kizzy M, explained that although the nurse was diabetic, the meals offered did not cater to her condition. She was also unvaccinated.

The family expressed disgust at the treatment that they say was meted out to the nurse during her hospitalization.

It was explained that on two separate occasions she was left alone in the yard in a wheelchair waiting on an ambulance to take her to a private hospital to get a CT Scan as recommended by her attending doctor.

She was never taken for the scan.

The family said it was even more worrying that the nurses on duty and the doctors did not appear to be following the same medical charts as the aunt complained that the nurses appeared unaware of many of the recommendations of the doctors on duty.

A photo that the nurse sent to her family of a section of the hospital

The distressed family said the woman complained on many days that the bedpans were left unemptied and bed linens were not changed regularly for many of the patients.

The niece recounted that many of the patients were left unattended and at times ignored as they battled for their lives.

According to the family, there was little care offered to the nurse before she passed away.

The issue has gotten the attention of the APNU+AFC Opposition which facilitated the press conference today for the family. Acting Opposition Leader Roysdale Forde and Opposition Spokesperson on Health, Dr. Karen Cummings both said a full and independent investigation needs to be launched.

“These are real issues and the reality is that the Government has converted the Lilliendaal Hospital to virtually a step away from a mortuary”, Forde said.

There have been other horror stories reported by former patients of the hospital. The Ministry of Health has indicated that while it is grappling with the pandemic, more nurses and doctors have been dispatched to the COVID-19 hospital to address the increase in hospitalizations.

There are currently over 90 patients at the hospital with 30 of them in the Intensive Care unit.

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