JUST when things started to look up at the Wismar Hospital, something had to happen to throw whatever gains they’ve made out of kilter.

At issue is the arbitrary removal of key staff, the latest being the institution’s only X-ray technician. The matter was only recently brought to light by Chairman of the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Regional Democratic Council (RDC),Renis Morian.

“The challenge that we have is the same as we did when we had Mr Gordon Gumbs as the CEO of the hospital. Every time we put and improve things at the hospital, they move it and carry it somewhere else, he said, adding:
“Now we have a matter that we have to bring to the minister, but I bring it to the council, so that the council can voice their disapproval. Now, I think we have three doctors working there. And now, somebody from Georgetown wants to move the [person] from here and take them to Georgetown. We are now bringing our services up to par; it hasn’t yet met the par that it was before, but we are now trying. I will get on to the Minister of Health today, because this is bad for us.
“Every time we put things in place, somebody moves it and carry it somewhere else. That is the lone X-ray technician! What is really happening to us! But we [are] objecting to it; we will object to it!” Morian declared, adding that a letter has already been sent informing the relevant authorities about what is taking place at the hospital.

But what is even more galling, Morian said, is that all they knew about the planned relocation of the doctor, at reference, to Lethem, was when they received a letter from the Regional Health Services Director, Dr. Kay Shako, saying so, a development that does not sit well with either he or Regional Executive Officer (REO), Orrin Gordon. Moving the doctor is not the professional thing to do, since he is being paid by Region 10 and not the Ministry of Public Health, and therefore cannot be moved around just like that.

But according to Morian, all is not yet lost, as the region has no intention of taking things sitting down.
“We at the Regional Democratic Council of Region 10,” he said, “are against the Ministry of Public Health, through the office of Dr Shako, removing our doctors from the Wismar Hospital. The Regional Democratic Council of Region 10 is working very hard to bring it back to where it was before; and every time we say that we [are] coming to par, somebody pulling our people away. On behalf of the residents of Upper Demerara-Berbice primarily, I want to be quoted as saying that Dr Shako can take doctors from elsewhere to send wherever she wants; we are fed up with this thing occurring over and over.”

Speaking specifically to some of the gains that would have been made at the hospital, Morian said that not only are the maternity and children wards up and running, but significant improvement is being done presently on the male ward, and that the council is particularly proud that there is now a mini dispensary which comes in pretty handy on weekends.