GPHC categorically affirms prisoner was treated for hernia
DOCTORS at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) are not only livid, but have categorically denied any knowledge of reports appearing in certain sections of the media that a patient, Colwyn Harding had informed them that he had allegedly been sodomized by a police rank using a baton while he had been in custody at the Timehri Police Station on December 17, 2013.The doctors at the nations’ leading public health institution who attended to Harding from the first day of his hospitalization said the patient did not, at any time, inform them that he had been physically assaulted by the police in the manner alleged. They said the patient was presented at the hospital with hernia, for which he was treated.
The doctors have further denied the following claims: (a) That Harding had been treated in a shoddy manner at the institution; and (b) that the hospital had run out of colostomy bags. In fact, the doctors said Harding had been using colostomy bags from the first day of his hospitalization.
That apart, the doctors deemed it unprofessional to be discussing a patient’s condition without that patient’s prior approval; and discussing such a matter with the media compounds the unprofessionalism.
Chief Executive Officer of GPHC, Mr. Michael Khan, along with Dr. Sheik Amir, Director of Medical & Professional Services; Dr. Navin Rambaran, Senior Registrar at GPHC; and Mr. Keith Alonzo, Senior Departmental Supervisor/Ward Manager in the unit where Harding is warded, addressed members of the media yesterday at a news conference held in the hospital’s multi-purpose room.
Khan said the press conference was held to afford reporters the opportunity to question the GPHC on its care of the patient, Colwyn Harding, and also to clear up some “misunderstandings and errors” that appeared in the media – both press and electronic.
Giving a background to the patient’s condition, Khan said Harding was admitted to the GPHC on December 17 (at about 10 or 11:00 hrs), and was examined and taken into surgery on December 18. He was again taken to theatre for a second surgery on December 27, 2013.
Reacting strongly to allegations that the GPHC had been unable to provide colostomy bags and needed drugs for Mr. Harding’s care, Khan affirmed: “I wish to state categorically that this is not true, and a perusal of the charts show that all the drugs he needed were given to him.”
Khan admitted that on one occasion the necessary paraphernalia (bags, drugs, etc) had not been given to the nurse on duty, but he insisted that at all other times it was there and had been administered.
He said Alonzo would be able to confirm the availability of colostomy bags. “And we must understand (that) even if they are not on the ward at the time, (the patients) get it, since they could be had from other wards.” Khan said there are two other patients besides Harding who use such bags, and they were never out of supplies; the bags were available at all times.
“It is my view that Mr. Harding has not been treated in a shoddy manner, and the hospital and staff have done their duty,” Khan concluded.
The hospital’s CEO also recalled having seen Harding and his mother at around 05:00 hrs yesterday. With the latter having been given special permission to visit Harding, they were outside of the ward sitting up, and Harding had appeared to be in good form.
“I would personally be dismayed if there is an accusation of poor treatment (having been administered to Harding), since the doctors and nurses (are doing all they can), especially given the circumstances of (Harding’s) status. We at the hospital have not refused… I would like to make it clear that we see our job as that of helping Mr. Harding to recover. To this end, we agreed that a private physician could meet with him in order to allay any fear, so there could be a private opinion at this time, which we understood is needed,” Khan expressed.
He said two doctors (Dr. Sheik Amir and a doctor from Davis Memorial Hospital) were scheduled to see Mr. Harding at 10:30 hrs (yesterday morning), and that there would be private consultation between the private doctor and the patient.
“I regret that the GPHC has been accused of neglect…As a public entity, we are open to criticisms, and this is why we have asked you to be here to clarify matters and correct errors of what is not based on facts,” Khan told the media.
Asked at what stage it was recognised that the patient was suffering with hernia, and that he had not been sodomized, Khan said: “As is customary, we do seek permission of the patients before divulging information to the public. However, Harding’s case was well thrown out to the public long before we were asked to do this. Bearing that in mind, Mr. Harding was brought to our institution on December 13, seen at the out-patient department and diagnosed with hernia, and was referred to the surgical clinic.
“On the evening of the 17th at 10.35 p.m. (22:35 hrs), he was seen with increased pains and vomiting. His diagnosis revealed a strangulated hernia and required emergency surgery. This development came four days after the initial diagnosis was made.
“So we all knew at the Georgetown Hospital that he was going to be operated on for a strangulated hernia.”
And asked whether there is a possibility the patient’s condition could have been aggravated by the insertion of a baton into his anus, Dr. Amir replied, “It is difficult for me to say.”
In response to another question by a reporter about the likelihood of ‘battering’ aggravating the situation, the physician answered in the affirmative.
Dr. Amir explained that any contraction of the abdominal wall would cause hernia to come down, and that strangulated hernia leads to the death of the bowel. “In effect, it is a weakness of the abdominal wall which causes a portion of the intestine to come down into the scrotal sack,” he explained.
Pressed by reporters to perform another examination on the patient to determine the veracity of the claim that he had been sodomized with a baton, the physician responded: “The issue is (that) we are not doing internal examination just like that…”
He said examination was done based on what the patient was presented with, and that technically, four months would have had to elapse before another surgical intervention is undertaken. Albeit, by then healing would have taken place; leaving one with not much to work with.
However, amidst a bombardment of questions, the physician was adamant that: “To this moment, up to this (yesterday) morning when we spoke to him (Harding), he hadn’t told us anything like that (about being sodomized).”
Summing up on the patient’s condition, Dr. Amir said, “He’s had his surgery. He’s eating, and based on all that he’s gone through, he has lost weight.”
(By Shirley Thomas)
