INVESTIGATIONS by the Guyana Chronicle into the circumstances leading up to the death of 15-year-old Zeleena Shaddick, brutally knifed by her boyfriend at Mabaruma, North West District last Wednesday, revealed an outpouring of goodwill and the discharge of a high level of professional responsibility by the attending doctor and staff of the Mabaruma Hospital.

That, coupled with the positive responses from at least three aviation entities, reflected the attitude of various stakeholders in their bid to help save the life of the schoolgirl.
However, despite the best efforts of the physician, Dr. Nigel Langhorne, who sought, desperately, throughout the night, to find a mercy flight aircraft, he was unable to get one, in keeping with aviation rules.
Meanwhile, information appearing in another section of the media, which claimed, among other distortions, that only one aviation entity was contacted, has caused much concern amongst the residents of the closely knit community of Mabaruma/Kumaka,  who now feel that, not sufficient was done to help save the teen’s life.
This newspaper spoke with Dr. Langhorne who tended the patient at the Mabaruma Hospital and worked at getting her medi-vacced to the city, against all odds. He considered it rather unfortunate that such an impression has now been created, stating that it is most disappointing, heart-wrenching and de-motivating for the staff who did all they could in the circumstances.
The Guyana Chronicle also spoke with at least three air service providers, who verified that they were approached by the doctor and were very willing to lend assistance, but were unable to do the medivac, in keeping with strict aviation laws governing flying at nights.
This reporter talked, as well, with Mrs. Annette Arjune-Martins, a senior management functionary of Air Services Ltd and a senior functionary of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), who, in addition to the operators of Wings for Humanity, based at Mabaruma, which conducts mercy flights, were approached that night. They all said they were sympathetic towards the situation and willing to lend assistance, but it did not meet the basic safety requirements for flying that night.

THOSE REQUIREMENTS
Those requirements, as verified by veteran pilot Captain Gerald Gouveia, are that, for the air carrier to have taken on the journey, the following conditions would have had to be met:  (Unfortunately, Captain Gouveia said he was not aware of what was going on that night).
* The aircraft needed to have two engines
* It needed two instrument-rated pilots, certified to fly at nights (a captain and co-pilot)
* The airstrip on which the craft was landing would have had to be properly illuminated and the pilots seized with a proper knowledge of the runway.
Dr. Langhorne, who spoke with this newspaper, told of having first contacted the Mabaruma-based air carrier, Wings for Humanity, which, willing as it was could not fly at that time as the craft had only one engine and one pilot.
The entity undertook to make the journey very early Thursday morning, in the event no other craft was able to fly that night.
He then contacted the GDF but the Army’s aircraft was not in a position to do the medivac. At that stage, Arjune-Martins was contacted but she replied that, even though her company’s planes  satisfied the requirements, she was unable to locate two pilots to fly that night. Asked by the doctor, would she make an aircraft available if certified pilots were found, she agreed. The army was advised accordingly and they were able to locate one, but not two pilots.
Noting the doctor’s insistence and realising the herculean task he was up against, Arjune-Martins told this newspaper: “I applaud the doctor’s efforts. He did everything he could possibly have and humanely done in the circumstances, while still attending to the patient there at Mabaruma.”
Albeit, she said, putting a medivac into operation is not like ‘the clip of a finger’ and there are certain laws and procedures that must be complied with. For any of the airlines to have flown under the conditions in which they found themselves on that night, would have been in clear defiance or contravention of aviation laws and putting at risk the lives of all on board.
The GDF, which is known to have a Bell 412 helicopter and several top experienced captains as well as access to at least 8 pilots suited for the assignment, informed that there might have been a slight problem which prevented the craft from being flown that night.
Dr. Langhorne recalled that the patient was taken in to the Mabaruma Hospital around 20:34 hrs Wednesday night and he  arrived at the institution about 20 minutes later and, immediately, took over from the medical staff attending to her.

BEGAN RESPONDING
He said he found a way of getting the oxygen to her and, within seconds, she began responding and regained consciousness.  “I then checked her vital signs and they were remarkable,” Dr. Langhorne said, adding that, at this stage he was infused with hope for her survival.  It was just after 21:00 hrs and he began making calls to Georgetown to arrange for her to be medi vacced.
Desperate to get the patient to the city, the doctor who was initially in touch with designated health officials in Georgetown for assistance with getting a plane to fly to Mabaruma, literally, took on the job of a logistics officer. From then and, throughout the night, he kept making calls back and forth but many went unanswered. He  persisted, though, until he eventually ran out of options.
But, throughout the experience, he continued to monitor the patient’s condition closely and was seeing positive results, up to a point.
As he tirelessly called back and forth, trying to negotiate for the flight, it appeared to be a long night and every moment counted. Each passing moment, he expected would bring some word of hope but everything had turned out bleakly so far as the medivac was concerned.  Meanwhile, the patient, once on oxygen, remained fully conscious and oriented up to about 04:30 hrs the following morning (for about 9 hours). Although she had no voice, she signalled she wanted pen and paper and wrote messages to her family.
In the meantime, the physician updated Dr. Ameer at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) on the patient’s condition and they agreed that there was real need for her to be flown to the city. By then, it was Thursday around 05:00 hrs and the local Seventh Day Adventist family, who owns ‘Wings for Humanity’ based at Mabaruma, was, once more, contacted and was given clearance to fly and arrangements were made for the teen to be medivacced.
But, soon after, her condition took a turn for the worse. “She began vomiting; her abdomen was bleeding and her intestines were protruding once more,” Dr. Langhorne said. She vomited about 3 to 5 times.
“Within about 17 to 20 minutes into the medivac, the patient’s heart started failing,” the doctor reported.  The medical team on board did all they could to resuscitate her but, despite their best efforts, she expired around 06:15 hrs.
In the wake of the unfortunate incident, Captain Gouveia has said there is need for the Ministry of Health to convene a meeting of all stakeholders to work out a protocol and so ensure there is not a recurrence of what happened in Shaddick’s case.
He declared it is unacceptable for a physician attending to the patient whose life is at risk to have to be making logistical arrangements for the evacuation.
Gouveia is of the view that the army has a role to play in such matters and needs to put itself in a state of preparedness at all times.
Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, at a recent meeting with the media, said that his ministry is addressing the issue.