The Ministry of Health has strongly rejected claims that a 19-year-old patient’s death at the newly commissioned $6.6 billion Lima Regional Hospital on the Essequibo Coast was due to a lack of oxygen. But questions remain. Marvin Kato reports.
By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News
Former Member of Parliament and Region 2 resident Sherwin Holder posted on Facebook on Tuesday, August 26, alleging that just one day after the hospital’s commissioning, a 19-year-old anemic patient died after being transferred from Charity Hospital in stable condition. Holder claimed the patient required oxygen on arrival but that the hospital had none available. He further alleged that this was the second death within the first week of operations and that staff were warned not to speak with the media.
In a statement, however, the Ministry of Health debunked the reports, stating, “No death at Lima Hospital was due to lack of oxygen.” Regional Health Officer Dr. Ranjeev Singh dismissed the claims as “false, malicious, and without basis in fact.” Dr. Singh explained that the deceased had a longstanding history of sickle cell disease with repeated hospital admissions and was recently suspected of leukemia. He was referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital’s hematology clinic but did not follow through with treatment.
Despite this, sources close to the hospital insisted that the RH’s explanation is a “cover-up.” They told Nightly News the facility only has portable oxygen cylinders and has been transferring patients to Suddie Hospital. One source cited a recent maternity case that had to be moved due to the absence of a permanent oxygen supply. The source added: “It’s a disaster… politics has taken over the health system in Essequibo, and that should not be.”
The Ministry maintains that the hospital is fully equipped and functioning, but concerns linger about whether adequate infrastructure was in place at the time of the hospital’s launch.
