By Rabindra Rooplall

THE first phase of surgery to assist 16-year-old Onika Luke in removing a bullet from her throat commenced at the Georgetown Public Hospital Thursday after the area became infected. The teen was shot when a lone gunman stormed the Better Hope, East Coast Demerara restaurant where she worked as a waitress. She was shot when she failed to hand over cash from the cash register. Her left thumb was also shot off in the process. The bullet passed through her chin and is lodged in her throat.
According to her brother, Wendell Ranjee, the teen was discharged from a private hospital in the city on Tuesday and was admitted to the public hospital after it was realised that the bill had surpassed $1M and nothing was done for the teen.
“Nothing was done at the private hospital and when enquiries were made when the surgery would be done, they didn’t know. I asked them what would be the average cost for her to stay there until the surgery is done, I was told it would cost almost $80,000 a day,” a shocked Ranjee explained.
Acknowledging that his sister’s employer was standing the medical bill at the private hospital, the elder brother said that it would be reckless to spend money when nothing was being done.
“We are not rich people, and we can’t allow her employer to waste money, they should have told us from the beginning and we could have used that money to assist us with her upkeep at the public hospital,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, he said that when he spoke to medical professionals at the GPH, it was noted that the surgery could have been done the same night when the teen was admitted or the following day. Delaying only made the situation worse, because the area became infected and surgery had to be done to cleanse the area, instead of working on removing the bullet.
“The doctor explained that bacteria are now taking over where the wound was and that would have to be dealt with before the bullet is removed,” he said. “She cannot be fed food and she is in pain from hunger and distress.”
The teen is unable to eat or breathe properly, because of the position of the bullet and this makes the operation complicated.
In the meantime, the police are on the hunt for a suspect while the investigation is in progress.