Improved health care under the PPP/C government

At the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), it is alleged that a doctor mis-treated and assaulted a patient while using racial slurs. Such conduct cannot be condoned in Guyana at any time, but it is even more dangerous during the fragile crime, security situation and fraying race relations.

Ms. Charmian De Mendonca has said in a statement that she was treated with great insensitivity by one Dr. Kishore Persaud when she was admitted to the Georgetown Hospital on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. Ms. Mendonca has stated that while coming out of unconsciousness after an accident at the corners of Cummings and Charlotte Streets, she felt someone pulling at her right ears and recognised the person to be Dr. Kishore Persaud. She protested and asked him to stop as this was causing her pain. Dr. Persaud then started to hit Ms. Mendonca in her chest causing further pain and when she insisted that he must desist from such action, he became angry and said “well if you feeling pain get up and go outside, yall black people like to come here and waste people time.”

According to Ms. Mendonca, Dr. Persaud after returning from his desk took off her oxygen mask in a manner which caused the elastic strap to sting her in her face several times. He continued the abuse of the patient despite the physical and emotional pain she was in and continued the racial abuse by saying “you want mek yo self a black fool and got me hey all night, I have to go home.” Dr. Persaud then scraped between Ms. Mendonca second and third toes on her right foot, until it bled and further order that she be taken off the spinal board.

The PNCR, which is the weakest main opposition party in Latin American and the Caribbean, said it considers this an outrage and demands that an urgent investigation into this matter be conducted. If such an investigation finds that Dr. Kishore Persaud is guilty of mis-conduct he must be appropriately sanctioned and adequate compensation paid to Ms. Mendonca.