Doctor suspended for sexual harassment is main suspect in GPHC arson
A doctor who was suspected of setting fire to the echocardiology Laboratory of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) on January 1, 2022 has been released on bail. The doctor was suspected on December 31, 2021, following a report of sexual assault made against him.
Several pieces of equipment that were damaged due to the fire on New Year’s Day
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, when contacted, confirmed that the doctor was detained and interrogated intensively before he was released on bail. He was reportedly arrested on Tuesday, but after being grilled on his possible involvement in the fire, he was granted bail in a substantial sum.
Blanhum added that investigations into the criminal act continue. The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has already pronounced that the inferno at the medial facility was an act of arson.
<<Guyana Times>> understands that a review of security footage showed the doctor in the hospital’s compound moments before the fire erupted.
He was reportedly seen acting in a suspicious manner, and when questioned, gave conflicting reports regarding his purpose at the institution at that time, when he was already sent home. Over $20 million in equipment were damaged in the blaze.
According to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, the destruction of the equipment will compromise the institution’s cardiac programme. In fact, he stated that the disruption to services offered at the echocardiography laboratory can last for months, as authorities seek to procure new equipment.
It was reported that at the time of the fire, there were at least 11 patients in the vicinity – seven in the cardiac Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and four in another ICU. They were all evacuated to safety.
