Pregnant women are being forced to deliver their babies in a room with a leaking roof at the Port Kaituma Hospital, in the North West District—a situation that residents and staff say is only one problem at the run-down institution.
Over the years, the problems have worsened and at times both patients and staff say they fear for their health and safety.
Port Kaituma resident and APNU MP Richard Allen told Stabroek News that numerous reports were made and despite a promise by former Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy to have the issues at the hospital rectified, nothing has been done to date.
Several attempts were made to contact Regional Executive Officer Nigel Fisher for a comment on the situation but to no avail.
Allen, in an interview, said that he has been living in the interior community for about 12 years and the hospital has been a source of concern during that time. He explained that based on the information he has gathered, the hospital was built in the early 1990s. He said that the roof is among one of the major problems, since staff and patients were wet every time it rained. He added that several years ago, repairs were done on the roof but before long water was once again leaking into the building.
At any given time, the hospital can accommodate 12 patients. There are two wards, with six beds each for male and female patients. There is no maternal ward.
Allen’s account of the situation at the hospital was supported by residents and hospital staff. One of the photographs provided as evidence shows a soiled ceiling, a part of which appears to be rotten. In one section, the ceiling has been reinforced. Another photograph shows a filthy toilet in the female ward. The toilet bowl has no cover, the floor is water-stained, and there is a visible hole in the wall.
Allen vowed that he will do all he can to see that his fellow residents are treated properly and that health care is vastly improved in the area. He said that he had cause to inform the National Assembly of a case in February, when a pregnant woman slipped and fell while using the washroom in the female ward. To date, he said, nothing has been done to fix that facility to prevent a recurrence.
According to Allen, the days of the hospital staff using plain water to wipe floors or using their own money to purchase detergent must end.
Leaking roof
“We have leaking roofs for the longest while,” a source familiar with the situation at the hospital told this newspaper. It was explained that for this month, there were at least four deliveries and in each case, it was raining and the roof was leaking.
Stabroek News was informed that the roof in the maternal and child health clinic also leaks. The contractor tasked with fixing the roof about four years ago placed containers in the space between the zinc and the ceiling and when they were filled, they started to overflow.
The source said that females, particularly pregnant women, are made to suffer because the sanitary facility in their ward is in disrepair. There is one toilet and one bath in the ward and it is used by pregnant women, elderly women and children.
The floor, according to the source, is rotting and the toilet bowl is slanted. Cleaners have had to resort to using buckets of water to flush the toilets for about eight months now. There are five other toilets at the hospital and they are in good condition.
The washing area at the hospital, this newspaper was told, is also not up to an acceptable standard. According to the source, the washing machine that is used is resting on “mud” beneath a shed.
There is also an overflowing septic tank in the hospital compound, near the malaria department, and although a regional official was told of the situation, no one was sent to rectify it.
Meanwhile, the hospital’s ambulance has been parked in the compound for several years. According to the source, at one time it required a fan belt, but from all indications it was never sourced and the vehicle was left neglected. At present it is being taken over by weeds, and there is no replacement for anyone who needs emergency transportation to the hospital.
The Nurses’ Quarters, located in the hospital building, are another area of concern. This newspaper was shown a photograph of a kitchen which has to be used by both the nursing staff and the patients. The source pointed out that it is unhygienic to be using the same sink to wash dishes used by the nurses and the patients.
Stabroek News was also told of instances where pigs and cows belonging to a resident roamed around the hospital compound, which is not properly fenced. “You have droppings from these animals all over the place and that is not healthy,” the source said, pointing out that the owner of the animals was asked to keep them out of the compound and despite his promises the situation still continues. The source said that this has been going on for about three years now.
