Dear Editor,
I wish to offer a comment on an article I read in yesterday’s edition of your newspaper `Ramjattan: Let Caricom probe maternal deaths’ (SN 23/11/2010). It was based on an interview with Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan (MP) who, along with other members of the Alliance For Change (AFC), were protesting outside the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) about the increased maternal deaths.
While I have no arguments with his call for a probe into maternal deaths by Caricom, as a young Guyanese doctor I am offended by his claim that Guyanese doctors could not offer a professional and independent investigation. Not only is his statement unfortunate, its implications are serious and I feel he (and his party) should offer a retraction and apology. By his argument, patients should only visit non-Guyanese doctors because if these doctors cannot be independent and professional about an investigation as serious as maternal deaths, how can they treat patients? Also, by extension of this argument, we should not accept any investigation led by Guyanese lawyers, parliamentarians, police, teachers or politicians.
I agree with the AFC that there are many problems with the health care system in this country. Since these problems are beyond obstetrics, any investigation should look at the entire health care system and offer practical solutions.
Yours faithfully,
Rondell Benn
