THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has denied that a 13-year-old boy had one of his kidneys removed capriciously by doctors at the hospital, saying that while an operation was performed on the lad, it was to save his kidney and not to remove it. The Guyana Chronicle had reported on Tuesday, December 13, that seven months after undergoing surgery to have his ‘badly damaged’ right kidney removed, Jonathan Ashby was told that his kidneys are intact. His parents and close relatives wept bitterly as he was rushed on Monday into the Operating Theatre at the Georgetown Public Hospital to conduct his third surgery – this time to remove his appendix — after reportedly suffering from appendicitis.
However, that was not the case, according to a senior doctor at the GPHC who preferred to remain anonymous. This newspaper understands that the first two surgeries were done at the GPHC by an urologist and paediatric surgeon to save the lad’s kidney.
On May 6, 2016, Ashby was hit by a motorcycle on the East Bank Public Road in the vicinity of the Diamond Housing Scheme and suffered internal injuries. According to the doctor, removing the lad’s kidney would have been a last resort and this was explained to his parents. It was noted that hard work by the two doctors resulted in the ruptured kidney being repaired.
Now on Monday last, a third surgery was performed on the lad, because there was the formation of intestinal obstruction secondary to adhesions, which is a common occurrence. The family had however claimed they were told that the surgery is being done to remove his appendix.
“I am not sure where these misconceptions are from. Nothing about a ruptured appendix was told to the family,” the doctor said. Ashby’s parents are due to meet with Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton, to clarify the issues surrounding his treatment.