Public Health Minister unaware of overseas retreat

GPHC paediatric team trip

…says probe into deaths of 3 children complete

Minister within the Public Health Ministry, Dr Karen Cummings on Saturday told Guyana Times that she is unaware of the overseas retreat being planned by the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for its paediatric team.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, Brigadier (Ret’d) George Lewis, when contacted for clarification said he wishes not to comment on the matter.
Nonetheless, Dr Cummings said she feels the retreat may be beneficial to the staffers. Asked if she believes that the retreat is timely, in light of the recent deaths within the department, she said, “retreats are always good. It’s a way to look back at what has happened, where you are now and where you are going.
If persons are going I would suspect that assistance will be put in place to manage and to (ensure) efficiency”.

Questioned on the progress of the investigations into the deaths of the three children –Sharezer Mendonca, Roshani Seegobin and Curwayne Edwards – who died at the institution following pre-chemotherapy treatment, the Minister said that the probe has concluded and she is awaiting the final report, which will soon be made public.
Efforts made to contact the senior Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, for a comment on the overseas retreat proved futile.
The retreat for the hospital’s paediatric team comes at a time when much tension is still in the air, as a result of the suspicious deaths of six-year-old Sharezer Mendonca, three-year-old Roshani Seegobin and Curwayne Edwards.
The planned trip was confirmed to this publication on Friday by a doctor.
According to the doctor, this is not the first time that the team is going on one of these trips, adding that they usually have such activities more than twice a year.
This newspaper was told that the team is expected to leave Guyana on March 2, 2019, to facilitate their “weekend retreat” in neighbouring Suriname.
A letter addressed to Dr Rambarran which was seen by this publication states that that the Paediatric Surgery Department has given up its operating day on Monday, March 4, 2019, to the transplant team. This, according to the letter, is to facilitate the department’s retreat, beginning on March 2 and ending on March 4.
“We are planning on going to Suriname. In preparation, permission was sought and obtained from DMPS (Director of Medical and Professional Services) and PSM (Department of Public Service) for the relevant team members to be allowed to make the trip,” the letter read.
It was explained that health practitioners on the trip would be funding themselves, while the department will be monitored by other staffers during their trip.