The Guyana Nurses Association (GNA) says it has serious reservations about the current investigation into the death of Somatie Singh at the Georgetown Hospital and wants it broadened.

Singh, of Mahaicony Creek, died on September 22 after she was reportedly forced to walk to the washroom instead of being given a bedpan which she and her relatives had repeatedly asked for. The woman had a pre-existing heart condition which required her to wear an oxygen mask at all times. The mask, according to family members, was removed by a nursing assistant. The assistant denies this.

The investigation into the death at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) is said to be seventy per cent complete and will be finished by Wednesday. This is according to Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr Madan Rambarran.

But a GNA press release said yesterday that while welcoming any investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Singh, the association would not accept any report from any investigation conducted by the Security Chief of the hospital.

“GNA will also not accept any report conducted by any panel not acceptable to and inclusive of the Guyana Nurses Association.”

It notes the haste with which condemnation has been thrown at the entire nursing fraternity of the hospital and the hurried investigation called by the hospital’s administration.

According to the association, an investigation being conducted must seek to carefully document and analyse the total care, management and circumstances surrounding the deceased, not just to determine culpability/liability, but to effect change and to ascertain measures which, if not implemented, could give rise to many more incidents....”

The release stated that “health care delivery at the public institution must not only be delivered in a caring and courteous environment, it must be delivered in an environment where adequacy of staff, of all levels, level of training, patient load and appropriate areas of care delivery to effect optimum care are paramount.

“The death of Somattie Singh must be the wakening knell to seriously address the many and varied shortcomings which our health care providers and citizens are forced to work under and endure.”

The association said like the rest of the country it also wanted answers and would not be satisfied with any superficial investigation.

To this end the association will be meeting with and calling on the authorities to set up an investigating team comprising representatives from the GPHC, the Medical Council of Guyana, the GNA, the General Nursing Council, the Consumers Association and labour.

The GNA said that it had confidence that such a panel would serve to ensure that justice went beyond laying blame. The GNA said it intended to take a series of actions to promote the improvement of nursing services at the GPHC.