Dear Editor,
The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has a long way to go. I visited GPHC’s outpatient unit last Sunday. I walked in to enquire about the procedure to see the doctor. The security told me I needed to wait for another doctor. I asked when the next doctor would be available, but the security did not know. None of the staff at the outpatient unit knew when the doctor would arrive. It appeared that doctors at the outpatient unit do not have a scheduled time; patients had to sit and wait in the dark, not knowing if the doctor would arrive in five minutes or three hours. One patient complained that she was waiting for hours at the hospital and no one could provide any information about the doctor’s arrival. Guyanese pay taxes to receive free health care. We should not be treated with such unconcern by the GPHC. After waiting for about 45 minutes, I left for a private hospital. I still did not know when the doctor would arrive and neither did the patient who was there for hours. GPHC needs to do better; patients deserve to know when the next doctor would be available. Waiting for hours without any information is unacceptable.
P.S. The outpatient area was also unsanitary. Dirty water settled on the concrete and the windows were consumed with dust. The windows looked like they were not wiped in ages. Hospitals should not be unsanitary. They are responsible for people’s health.
Yours faithfully,
Rae Wiltshire
