Health officials mum after doctors try to break down door at isolation facility

The Ministry of Public Health remains silent two days after doctors were caught on video trying to break down the door of a patient at the isolation unit being housed at the Diamond Hospital, East Bank Demerara.

When contacted by the News Room on Monday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle declined to offer a comment on the incident and telephone calls to the Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud and Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence proved futile.

As a matter of fact, the female who answered Minister Lawrence’s mobile phone said it was the wrong number after the reporter introduced herself and the media house she is attached to.

The video of the incident was sent to the News Room and showed the two doctors trying to kick down the door after the patient barricaded himself inside. This occurred on Saturday night and was recorded by another patient.

The chaos started after the doctors attempted to place a recent COVID-19 positive patient in the same room with the male who has been there for some 11 days now and he is due to be re-tested after 14 days in isolation.

The patient feared he would not recover soon if the positive patient was placed in the same room with him and so he barricaded himself inside.

After realising that they were being recorded, one of the doctors knocked the phone out of the hands of the patient and instructed him to delete the video.

Patients who spoke with the News Room under the condition of anonymity revealed that there are persons at the facility for over 60 days and the reason for their prolonged stay is due to re-infection from new patients.

The Diamond Isolation unit houses the majority of Guyana’s COVID-19 patients.

As of May 24, Guyana’s COVID-19 cases stand at 135, including 10 deaths and 62 recoveries.

The active COVID-19 cases stand at 63.