No beds, water at Sando hospital
Keino Swamber South Bureau
Steele, known in the calypso world as Lady Gypsy, is the mother of former road march winner Faye-Ann Lyons-Alvarez and sister of calypsonian and UNC politician Winston "Gypsy" Peters.
She was one of about 15 people who sat for hours on benches or took to lying on the floor in the hope of being placed on a bed at an overcrowded Ward 10D of the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday and at the weekend.
Steele, 47, of Thick Village, Siparia, told the Express she began experiencing severe chest pains on Sunday evening and arrived at the hospital's Accident and Emergency department at around 7 p.m.
She said she was attended to by a doctor and was taken to Ward 10D at around 10 p.m.
"I sat there on a chair from that time until today (Monday) when I signed myself out because I could not get a bed," Steele said. "People were lying all on the ground. This is ridiculous. The Minister keeps boasting about the health sector and how it is so good. It is the worst.
"You can't even get a drink of water and imagine when you go to the toilet you can't even flush it because there is no water."
The mother of six said she sought the services of a private doctor and had to shell out $250 for the visit.
"I didn't mind paying the money. It was better than sitting there watching old people lying on the floor and other people crying out in pain. Tears came to my eyes."
Steel was high in praise for the nurses assigned to the ward.
"They were very nice to the patients but there was only so much they could do. I believe they are really trying to help but they are also under pressure. Imagine there is a ward with about 30 people and only two nurses to attend to them?"
Hospital Medical Director Dr Anand Chatoorgoon told the Express yesterday that overcrowding continues to be a problem at the hospital inspite of a decision to increase the bed space.
"We have a policy which says, once the medical wards are overcrowded, we put the patients on beds anywhere in the hospital," Chatoorgoon said.
"The other thing is, we opened an extension to the medical wards, within the last two to three months, where we have an extra 16 beds. The problem is more and more people are accessing San Fernando General Hospital and maybe the time will come when the minister and they will have to build a new hospital."
Chatoorgoon said the demand for service at the institution outweighs its capacity.
"We have been trying to deal with the situation. We have to find more space and we have to do it soon. We are really bursting at the seams."
