Post-mortem exams at Public Hospital are free -Ramsammy
Stabroek News
January 8, 2003
Post-mortem examinations performed at the Georgetown Public Hospital in relation to police matters are provided free of cost, says Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy.
These examinations were recently delayed because the pathologist designated by the government had gone on leave.
Ramsammy says the ministry had then employed the services of another doctor last week to assist in clearing the backlog.
Ramsammy’s statement came following reports that relatives of the dead persons were being asked to pay $30,000 per procedure. He says these were not charges instituted by the government or the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
Ramsammy says there was an investigation of the complaints. He said he had not received a satisfactory answer and has since discontinued the services of the doctor.
Dr Bridgemohan, who is the police pathologist in Berbice, is now conducting these examinations until the return of the designated pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh.
In a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, the Ministry of Health made it clear that no one should at any time pay for services rendered by the GPHC.
“Neither the Government nor the Georgetown Hospital has instituted any charges for this service. Therefore any payment made to the pathologist is invalid,” the release said.
Ramsammy said that other than Dr Singh there is also Dr Sanchez who is the hospital’s pathologist and he conducts the ordinary post-mortem examinations. There were some reports of persons having to wait weeks for the procedure to be conducted on their relatives and some persons were under the impression that there was no pathologist on staff. But the minister said there haven’t been any problems in this department.
