By Prior Beharry
IN the wake of four doctors being “rotated” from main Covid-19 hospital in Trinidad and Tobago comes word that their replacements have achieved a 60% decrease in deaths in the past eight days.
On Tuesday, 11 doctors wrote to the board of the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) calling for an independent inquiry as to why four of their senior colleagues were “rotated” from the Couva Hospital and Multi Training Facility – the main Covid-19 hospital in T&T.
The former medical chief of staff at the Couva Hospital Dr Don Martin, one of the doctors moved, had expressed concern and was against the move.
United National Congress (UNC) Dr Tim Gopeesingh raised the issue at a press conference on Thursday, stating that the increase in deaths due to Covid-19 was related to the Couva hospital.
The former government minister and MP is calling for the suspension of Chief Executive Officer of the NCRHA Davlin Thomas.
But a NCRHA release, dated Friday (May 28), stated, “Following Dr Gopeesingh’s claim last evening regarding an increase in Covid-19 deaths related to the Couva Hospital, CEO Davlin Thomas announced that the new team of NCRHA doctors at the Couva Facility has achieved a 60% decrease in deaths and increased discharges by 25% within the last eight days.”
The release made reference to Thomas’ Master’s degree dissertation saying it was focused on “improving quality” on a platform of “organisational transformation processes.”
The release quoted Thomas as saying, “The medical team at the Couva Facility has done a phenomenal job. The numbers speak for themselves. The reduction in mortality rate by 60% is exceptional.
“This experienced and highly qualified multidisciplinary team has also achieved a 25% increase in discharges, with a near full to capacity bed occupancy.
“I am very pleased with the work and service being offered there. The implications for what we are seeing in the current data is significant and extremely encouraging.”
It also quoted the new medical chief of staff at the hospital Dr Ravi Lalla as stressing the importance of a specialised team with varying clinical expertise working with Covid-19 patients.
Lalla said, “The team has succeeded in filtering out the noise and engaging the battle to save lives with all that we have. Our team is dedicated to this cause.
“It is a collective effort that is systematically constructed on the contributions of each part to the whole – the cardiologist, the emergency medicine specialist, the intensivists, the nurses, the patient escorts, the technicians, the administrative support staff have all banded together to protect and preserve the life of each individual patient. It takes the effort of us all to save one… and we are determined to do everything we can to ensure that no one dies, and every patient is given the best chance of not just survival… but recovery with a high quality of life.”
Contacted for comment on the issue, Dr Gopeesingh said the doctors who have spoken out of the issue of their colleagues being removed from the Couva hospital have been gagged by the NCRHA.
He said, “I am calling for the entire board of the NCHRA to resign or be dismissed immediately.”
Dr Gopeesingh said Thomas cannot be believed since he falsely claimed that doctors had requested rotation when they did not.
He said Thomas’ approach will cause further distrust of the public and demotivation of all medical staff which could destabalise the healthcare system.
Dr Gopeesingh said, “The figures tell another story of questionable deaths. Dalvin Thomas must be suspended while an urgent public independent inquiry of competent medical and legal experts is conducted.”
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