Dear Editor,
September 8, 2012: I would never forget that evening, when my late mother was taken to the famous ‘Best’ (West Demerara Regional) hospital. I was surprised and taken aback to know that I had to locate both the wheelchair and the porter (I thought those services had to be at the emergency entrance).
After almost 20 minutes of moving my mom from my uncle’s bus to the wheelchair and into the hospital, the porter arrived. I felt sorry for the almost helpless man. It seemed as though he was a one man army that night, or so it appeared to me.
It took a while for my mom to be fully attended to by the Cuban doctor who at the time was the only doctor on duty – or so I was told. I was at the hospital the day before with my cousins who got into a vehicular accident; the same doctor treated them, and as she gazed at me the night pushing my mother on the wheelchair she said, “You again?” It seems as though one can’t visit the hospital two days in succession.
My family and I got frustrated; I eventually spoke with Dr Ravi and Dr Nadia on the phone, who immediately followed up the matter, hence my mother was treated and admitted. I was amazed to see the difference and level of treatment after those two doctors intervened.
She was treated and cared for by the nurses who served the ward; if only there had been a solution to her sickness. Dr Armando, took his valuable time and explained everything about her illness, trying his best. I was given the chance as the eldest son to stand at my mother’s bedside for a few extra minutes every afternoon. The environment of the female ward was beyond expectation, spick and span as some people would say. The tolerant nurses encouraged us to take along nourishment on every occasion, giving us faith that mom would recover. I thank them for their words of hope. Every morning as we entered the ward, the smell of freshness and feeling of harmony created the perfect ambience for both patients and visitors.
My mom requested a small Bhagwan Shiva murti next to her (she would usually offer mantras (prayers) to him a lot); she called for God on countless occasion while on her sick bed. I was very upset when one of the nurses told my sister that she (the nurse) would not attend to my mom if we put a Hindu religious picture next to the bed. My understanding is that if you vow to serve the public, then all should be treated with full egalitarianism by a public servant; there should be not disunion on the grounds of ethnicity, religious background, financial and political status. Again, I spoke with the authorities, who had no objection. She held onto the murti until her last breath. Her body was well taken care of, and the following morning the friendly pathologist explained the main cause of death. Registration of the death was professionally done by the personnel at the hospital. The firm guards at the main gate ensured all documents pertaining to the body were scrutinized before leaving the compound. I can safely say, the doctors, nurses, administrators, porters and health care assistants of the entity tried their best, and I am pleased to share this with the wider public. I thank them for their care, consideration, compassion, courtesy and hard work. But, let us not forget, there is always room for improvement, at every level.
Yours faithfully,
Praem Rambharak
