Dear Editor,
For whatever reason, it seems by general acceptance that if one is not in the medical field, then one is forbidden to harbour, much less venture an opinion on any medical issue, or else you can be seen as pompous. Whatever, that will not deny me adding my two bits.
As if the torture of the teenage boy was not outrageous enough, we subsequently learnt of another disturbing episode of a doctor examining him while having his head covered with a bag. As was expected the GHRA took issue with the doctor in attendance, Mahendra Chand, accusing him “callous indifference.” This infuriated the doctor so much that he fired back at the GHRA claiming that they “mischievously resorted to capricious, spurious and slanderous allegations, which I suspect were carefully crafted to satisfy some sordid or malicious intent” (SN November 14). These words did not help to polish the doctor’s reputation, nor did his explanation in any way soothe the conscience of the nation. The doctor must be mindful of how, not only the GHRA but the general public, is beginning to see things in the light of what is taking place. Though we have heard of countless cases of bags being placed over victim’s heads whilst being tortured, it is the first time that I’ve heard of a doctor examining a tortured teen whose head was covered with a bag.
The doctor sounded somewhat proud, patriotic and professional when he claimed that earlier he had acted beyond the call of duty, and with regard to the teen, “was presented with a patient who was naked, except for his head which was covered with a bag… was breathing comfortably… the injured area was exposed and that was solely my concern and focus. I did not see any other area of brutality.” May I ask if this medical practitioner is a super-doctor? How did he know that the portion of the covered body was not injured? Further, as someone asked before, didn’t the bag over the patient’s head – who obviously was a very young male – cause alarm bells to go off for the doctor? What prevented the doctor from performing his function to the full?
As the saying goes, ‘Not knowing, can’t tell,’ and it is anyone’s guess how many acts of brutality the doctor might have seen in his twelve years of practice with the Guyana Police Force. But I want to believe him when he said, “I have never ever knowingly or unknowingly encouraged torture, neither have I ever participated in any cover up or down-play.” Still, he should also try to understand how sensitive issues like this have become, and not to allow himself to become too hypersensitive with issue caustic responses – “sinister attempt to verify and malign,” etc.
There is even a certain ring and overtone when the doctor suggested to the GHRA that they should “focus their energies more on some real humanitarian work in the prisons.” He most certainly should know exactly what he’s talking about here; he has been at it for 12 years. On second thought, I may even want to think after all that Dr Chand may not be that timid, but on the contrary, in a very crafty way was revealing the beastly and inhuman conduct of some members of the force, like the trick used in the song Dove and Pigeon, ‘You mustn’t say… and nobody should say…”
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
