Houston accident victim alleges neglect at hospital

Amanda Lam, one of the victims of the accident that left an elderly woman dead last Friday, last been discharged from the hospital although she is alleging that she was neglected during her admission.

Lam was a passenger in a car that was rammed by a minibus that was being driven by a Guyana Revenue Authority worker at Houston, East Bank Demerara last Friday morning.

Daphne Layne, 81, who was also in the car, died while receiving treatment at the hospital. The drivers are expected to appear in court today.

Lam was admitted after sustaining what she was told were two fractures to her jaw, while her son, Christopher Naipaul, 16, who was also in the vehicle, was also admitted after he inadvertently swallowed a piece of broken glass. After being seen at the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit by a doctor when she was rushed there, Lam said she was transferred to the female ward, where she did not receive proper treatment for her injuries. She said the only time a doctor checked on her was yesterday. She said he came and looked at her x-ray and told her that she was discharged.

He also gave her a card and advised her to visit the West Demerara Regional Hospital today. Lam is concerned that a second x-ray was not done before she was discharged because her jaw was still hurting and she was also experiencing a continual headache since the accident.

As a result, she is contemplating visiting a private hospital although she is uncertain whether she can afford it due to her losses in the accident.

Her son is still hospitalised.

Lam said that a surgery was not yet performed on Naipaul as doctors are still trying to locate the piece of glass which he swallowed.

At the time of the accident, Lam was travelling with her son to the Meadow Bank Wharf to conduct business. She had $98,000, $45,000 worth of fish glue along with her spectacles and a smartphone, all of which she lost.

Lam was not unconscious in the accident and did not know how her money and goods were lost.

Lam also said that the police have not taken a statement from her. Although she has been discharged from the hospital, she said she is unable to visit the police station to give a statement due to her condition.

After she was rushed to the hospital, Lam recalled a police officer collecting her phone number but no one has since contacted her.