Discharged Friendship boy story questions medical staff competence

- GPH

This statement is in response to an article published in this newspaper headlined ‘Friendship boy discharged from the hospital”. The article which appeared in the November 30 edition stated that the boy’s mother said she did not understand why her son, Vishram Persaud, had been discharged.

The woman was quoted as saying “The doctor say he medication time over and that is why he was discharged.”  According to a release from the hospital, discharge “is based solely on the judgement of the attending physician and the condition of the patient”.

The release added that consultations are always made with relatives especially if the patient is a minor. Appropriate advice is given in relation to follow-up care, the release pointed out.

“It is quite obvious that the potential reader will formulate his or her own judgement or perception (negative) about the institution and hence discredit the care giving or life saving effort of the staff,” the release said.

On November 8, Persaud was going to purchase a drink when he was hit by a car at a bridge on the Friendship public road some time between 4 pm and 5 pm. The driver was subsequently held and released on station bail.

He spent three weeks in the paediatric ward of the GPH, two of which he was unconscious and was later discharged on November 29.