Dear Editor,

PLEASE permit me to respond to a letter by Annie Baliram which was published in the Kaieteur News, titled “GPHC needs to come clean and let Guyanese know exactly what happened with these children.”

I read the headlines and immediately felt elated that someone is maintaining pressure on the GPHC to provide answers to the grieving families. Then I started to read some garbage — which I will address later– that made me immediately check who is the author of this letter.

I was not surprised to discover the author was Annie Baliram. I found out about her when I wrote a letter arguing that the government needs to get to the etiology of crime, namely socio-economic inequalities, if they are to address the scourge of crime that has been affecting this country for as long as I can remember. Annie Baliram did not agree, which is her right and responded in the local media. I immediately responded, using scientific evidence and theories to justify my position. Rather than responding in the local media, she turned to the PPP-aligned Guyana Times to write garbage and lies about me supporting criminals at the 1763 monument– a monument for Afro-Guyanese. I was not aware of her missive until one of my Guyanese brothers suggested that I read what she wrote. It was absolutely shocking and racist, implying that only Afro-Guyanese are involved in crime; that’s why I came up with these so-called solutions. I just ignored her because quite frankly that is far from the truth. Also, Mr. Editor, this very Annie Baliram contributes to online blog titled “Black Bullies.”  The stuff she writes about Afro-Guyanese makes painful reading and is downright disgusting

Do a Google search, but be prepared to read some very upsetting material about Afro-Guyanese.

Now this Google medical doctor, pharmaceutical expert and PPP loyalist resurfaces writing trash. As a result, I really have to teach her a thing or two.

Ms. Baliram wrote, “Additionally, mismanagement at the GPHC because of political influence is also a major reason why patients die from causes which are 100 per cent preventable.”

Ms. Baliram is spot on with this. She just conveniently omitted by whom and when. Let me provide that information. It started during the PPP’s reign and this government out of fear of appearing racist has not addressed it. I know this Ms. Baliram because I was in the line of fire at GPHC. I did not get this propaganda information from Freedom House or some PPP bottom house meeting. The PPP politicised the GPHC and the wider health care service. That’s a fact, let them prove me wrong.

“Editor, here is another dimension demonstrating how politics has turned our health care system into one that is deadly and these three children are the victims of such a system. Guyanese will never forget how Ms. Volda Lawrence, the Minister of Public Health, bragged that she will hire only members of the PNC to serve in the government-run health care system. This is shortsighted and inhumane.”

Let me ask Ms. Baliram these questions

1. Who were provided unfair advantages in marking for the UG medical school final examination in the year 2000? We were warned about it by other colleagues who were also victims, but we got the shock of our lives when it happened to us. The point I’m making, is that the year 2000 was not the only year this occurred.

2. Who got the medical fellowships during the PPP/C’s 23-year reign?

3. Who got the medical scholarships during the PPP/C’s 23 years in government?

4. Who predominantly got the senior positions at GPHC during the PPP/C’s reign?

5. Who got the senior positions throughout the health services during the PPP/C’s tenure?

6. Who were elected to senior positions to the medical council during the PPP/C’s 23 years in office? It is still happening today. The government is not courageous enough to address it.

7. The Director of Professional and Medical Services when I worked at the GPHC from 2000-2002, what were his qualifications? Was he a specialist? What was his complications rate after surgery? Mind you, he served over a decade in this position and resigned only after he was forced, for hiring someone of questionable character.

I will repeat, Volda Lawrence was trying to address an injustice she saw, I saw and all Guyanese saw, but she used crude, off- the- cuff language. She could have articulated it better by using terms such as positive action. Having said that, I clearly understand the point she was trying to make. In any event this unfortunate statement was made late last year. How did that statement contribute to these patients’ death?

There is absolutely no correlation. This problem predates Ms. Lawrence’s statement. This problem has its origin from the PPP’s time in government. This government needs to take the blame for not courageously addressing it. I will bet my house that the senior doctor under question was employed during the PPP/C’s time, or at least was employed using that party’s template of employing specialists. Believe me, he is not the only one. Many are masquerading as specialists, compliments of the PPP/C; an inept Medical Council and government that lack the courage to address it because of fear of folk like you running to Guyana Times screaming ethnic cleansing. Also, Ms. Baliram wrote, “Politics have turned our health care system into one that is deadly.” In view of the fact that such a proclamation is being made, I would humbly ask Ms. Baliram to provide the adjusted mortality statistics among others during the PPP/C’s time and during the time of this government. Only by having such data can one come to such a conclusion. If Ms. Baliram has come to such a conclusion without the data to inform her, that is an ignorant statement lacking in evidence. I would suggest she join Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and others whom I have relegated to the silly corner of People’s Propaganda Party(PPP).

“Today, many individuals without an ounce of health care training hold key positions at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and at the GPHC, instead of skilled professionals.”

Spot on, Ms. Baliram. I trust when the government starts to clean the house of square pegs in round holes you don’t run to Guyana Times shouting from the mountain top, ethnic cleansing. I’ll tell you this. A friend of mine was working at the GPHC in the accounts department while studying for a degree in accounts at UG. He graduated in 2000 and expected to be made an accountant in the department. He was shocked when a high school dropout, uneducated but dedicated, was made head of department and he had to report to him. A PPP/C’s loyalist. He was not the only square peg in a round hole during the PPP/C’s time in office. My friend left Guyana and now works in Antigua.

“The MoPH and the GPHC have already heightened our fear by informing the public that the autopsies of these children are inconclusive. How can this be? This is hard to swallow. An independent investigation will extract the truth and it is.”

Tell me Google pathologist, what should have been the autopsy findings in these cases? Let me tell you. Apart from a few sclerosed blood vessels and probably nerves, the pathologist would not find much. Inconclusive will be the results. Simply put, no conclusion could be arrived at and further testing would be needed. That’s not unusual in drug-related deaths, since drugs work at the cellular and molecular levels. The only way of arriving at a definitive answer is by toxicology testing where samples are taken from the patient, likely sent overseas and examined microscopically and chemically, using enzymes among other chemicals. As part of the test, they can look for the blood levels and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the drugs in question. Whether these are high or the drug is found in a place it should not be, namely, high levels of vincristine in the CSF. You get that Ms. Baliram. Brilliant!! Now if you wish to be an authority on such issues I would suggest you apply to medical school and, if accepted, study for five years and if successful followed by up to 15 years post-graduate studies. A 15-second Google search wouldn’t cut it, since folk such as myself will make you look silly.

Let me digress a bit from my surgical incisions of Ms. Baliram missive. You wrote this in a letter to Kaietuer News on 29th October 2012, “I am a psychologist, at the PhD level of Guyanese origin, living in the USA.” What does that actually mean? Do you have a PhD or not? If not what happened with your dissertation? At PhD level you should know of the concept of literature search, critically appraising research papers and arriving at conclusions that can stand up to scientific scrutiny. Clearly you lack those skills, evident in the letters you write that are devoid of facts and are just regurgitation of what you read without critically analysing them. You are not a medical doctor. Stay in your lane. Venture into the fast lane and you will be run over by someone who is speeding down the lane to medical greatness.

BACK TO THE ISSUE AT HAND

“The MoPH and the GPHC need to respect the families of these children and provide them with the facts surrounding the deaths of their loved ones. These families need closure. However, given the level of corruption, we may never know the truth and so do not hold your breath for it.”

The families need closure, I agree. No family should ever have to go through this. My heart bleeds for them. I demand that the GPHC provide them answers sooner rather than later. But then the Google medical doctor once again writes garbage. She writes of corruption. Listen carefully Ms. Baliram. The corruption is in your thoughts. Corrupted thoughts. Go read a few books on pathology and pharmacology. Get yourself informed. Go read a few medical journals on pathology and pharmacology, assuming you can understand the language. Go to a few pathology and pharmacology medical conferences, assuming you can stay awake. If you can’t do any of those then stay quiet and continue to write your racist diatribe in the Guyana Times. You said you wouldn’t hold your breath, I do not concur and would strongly suggest you do so, since that may help you to keep your mouth shut. Also, if your restless fingers cannot stay away from the keyboard and you write garbage and it happens to be in any of the local news outlets I read, I will see it and do a proper autopsy on it, identifying the true cause of death.

Regards,
Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc MRCP (UK) FRCP(Edin)
Consultant, Acute Medicine
Nottingham University Hospital
UK