Dear Editor,
We the women of Red Thread have read in the Kaieteur News dated 29th October 2009 of the brutal death of Samantha Marks, another victim of domestic violence. We have written letters in the past about this epidemic of violence against women of all races in Guyana. We are writing this particular letter to question the quality of care available at the Georgetown Hospital. Samantha Marks was beaten by her husband, went to the hospital on the 16th October 2009 for treatment for her injuries was treated and sent away.
On the 19th October she went back to the hospital because she was not getting relief from her pains, was admitted and later died. The post-mortem said she died of ‘Subdural Hemorrhage.’ What kind of examination was done to diagnose her injuries before she was sent home on October 16, 09? What is the domestic violence protocol in place at the hospital to guide medical personnel?
Yours faithfully,
Shirley Shaffeek
Cora Belle
that hospital is a recreational facility for doctors and a night shelter for nurses.they work at snails pace very often. during the night is another matter; you dare not call any nurse for attention. is then yuh know dat yuh deh pun HAAg Island. some of them nurse would do an excellent job in the police force because they are very aggressive.
on many occasions serious attempts to diagnose a problem is not carried out.
On many occasions it is not until the patient returns to the hospital that the patient is properly diagnosed.
on many occasions it is when the person dies that the postmortem unearths injuries and/or other diseases a person might suffer from.
many times many times many =too many manys.
Red Thread you are asking the wrong question, and you are not sufficiently proactive regarding the issue of domestic violence that you so aggressively champion on behalf of abused women and in some cases men. The question/s should be: are domestic abuse issues immediately reported to the police? Is the attending physician and or nurse sufficiently sensitised to the trauma suffered by the abused? Then, do you have a tracking mechanism that allows you to know of abused cases treated at hospitals and reported to the police? If you do, do you interceed on behalf of the victims to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted? Have you asked your daily news print to publish cases of abuse? Do you have a shelter and counseling for abused women? Now my recommendation: ensure that one of your member/volunteer collects daily stats from the police and hospitals, immediately follow up to ensure that the victim was provided the required treatment. If you do this, it would not be necessary for you to write letters requiring treatment regimines from any medical institution or police. ISNM