A STUDENT of the Georgetown School of Nursing was admitted a patient at the Burns Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital after she was doused with acid on her way to work early yesterday morning.

Ann-Marie Hutson, 33 years old, of 616 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme was at the time walking along New Market Street towards the GPHC after she had moments before exited a minibus on Camp Street, in the city.
Hutson, who is the mother of a 15-year-old girl, said the only person she suspects would likely bring harm to her is her ‘child father’ with whom she has had a turbulent relationship, even going to the extent of serving him with a restraining order recently.
Speaking with the media from her hospital bed, Huston recalled that she was walking along New Market Street around 7am yesterday when she observed two young men of African descent standing next to a motorcycle.
She said that, unconsciously, she asked herself what the men were doing there and then opined that they might be waiting on someone from the hospital. The woman related that as she passed the men, she felt something like water tossed on her and as she looked she saw one of the men closing back a bottle.
She could not recognise them if she saw them again since, according to her, one had on a helmet while the other had a cap pulled over his face.
The now hospitalised woman said that after the substance was tossed on her, she immediately started to experience a burning sensation so she started ripping her clothing off and sprinting for the hospital. As she ran she saw a ‘sister’ from the hospital and related to her what happened. The sister encouraged her to continue running to the hospital.
Hutson said she rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit where she related to health personnel there what had happened and she was advised to immediately take her clothing off and rush into the bathroom. She was then taken into the theatre where she was treated for the burns about the body.
Asked if she had any issues with anyone at the Nursing School, the 33-year-old confidently responded in the negative and pointed out that since her hospitalization, she has been receiving a very high level of professional treatment and care from the nurses and has even been receiving counselling and words of comfort from her co-workers both at the nursing school and the GPHC.
Last evening she could not say what degree of burns she sustained since that was not communicated to her by her doctors or the nurses. However, she said that physically she was “feeling ok” and strong enough to move around but based on what she has observed, she is likely to remain at the hospital for a short period to be further treated and monitored.
Hutson said that she was feeling a slight stiffness in her neck which was due to the burns to her neck. Her back received the worst of the injury as a result of the acid attack.