Racing with patients from one hospital to another causing lives- Lawrence

Minister Lawrence and her team from the MoPH comforts Reddock’s mother.

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence is of the view that the workforce of the Ministry of Public Health and the various hospitals will continue to be affected because of the existing need for specialize treatment which is mostly offered at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

She was at the time speaking with the administration of the Linden Hospital Complex following the accident Nurse among two killed as car and ambulance crash in Linden on Saturday morning which claimed the lives of two persons as an ambulance and car collided in Linden. The ambulance was returning to the hospital after transferring a patient to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Debris left from the impact of the crash Saturday morning

The impact resulted in the death so Triston Clark 18 years old who was driving the motor car and 37 year old Eon Reddock who was the midwife in the ambulance. Clark was reportedly heading to sleep at his father’s place after returning from a pageant in the community. The other two persons who were in the ambulance, namely the diver and attendant are said to out of danger with the driver suffering lacerations  about his body and crying out for pain while the attendant is nursing a fractured hip.

DEAD: 37 Y-O Eon Reddock

DEAD: 18 Y-O Triston Clark

“This affects us who work within the sector and there are families and it’s a ricochet effect the human lives that we continue to lose because we have to use this method to provide services at a higher level for our patience is one that we need to zero in on as we seek to improve the health sector and we do offer our sympathies to all of you.” Public Health Minister Lawrence noted

Lawrence along with her Permanent Secretaries travelled to the region where they met with the staff of the hospital and also paid visits to the homes to the two persons who were killed in the accident.

She said that at the policy level, moves are being made to have each hospital equipped as far as possible with the specialized services so that the instances of transferring patients from one region or hospital to another can be minimized and have the specialists and personnel go to those facilities instead where all the necessary tools will be available for them to work.

“That is why we are fighting to make every region self-sufficient, we would prefer to bring the specialists to the hospital and not be transferring our patience from one region to the other we know Georgetown Hospital is our premier and specialist hospital but at the same time we want to be able to work to that level where we can work on our patients and stabilize them and keep them and bring the specialists instead of having our staff flying down the road at wee hours of the morning putting their lives on the line”  Lawrence told her staff in Linden.

At the level of the hospital, a report is being prepared to be submitted to the Ministry of Public Health while the police are continuing their investigations.

Matron of the Linden Hospital Complex embraces her subject minister

BIG Smith Crime Watch learnt from police sources that based on information received, Clark another vehicle were reportedly heading the same direction when Clark attempted to overtake the other vehicle around a turn and reportedly ended up in the path of the ambulance which was heading in the opposite direction.

As a result, he slammed head on into the ambulance while the other car which he attempted to overtake continued along its journey.

The minister and her team also visited the homes of the two deceased where the mother of Clark, Maxine Clark was inconsolable. She kept reminiscing on the  memories of her only boy child who she said would never allow her to kiss him when he was alive but on Saturday as she held his lifeless body, she had the opportunity to kiss him as much as she wanted but he was not able to tell her “mommy leave me alone” as he usually did while he was alive.

The woman said that her son recently made a number of promises and plans with her and now she is of the view that he should have never done that as he may have been alive today. All this, she stated while crying and sobbing.

Lawrence listens to Maxine Clark memories of her son while his sister cries in her lap

Over at the home of Eon Reddock who was trained in midwifery, his mother recalled how loving he was and always willing to work beyond the call of duty.

It was at the house that we learnt that many persons in the community of Linden when they are about to deliver or are pregnant, would make a special request for him to be the person who they wish to handle the delivery.

A memorial wall with photos of Reddock is placed in the Hospital’s lobby

Hospital staff including the admin team noted also that many times when a patient has to be escorted to Georgetown, Reddock would volunteer even if he is not working for that day.

The Ministry has already initiated a process to have staff receive counselling, especially those who would have worked closely with Reddock.