WIFE BLAMES HOSPITALLARA PICKFORD-GORDON Wednesday, November 8 2006
The wife of Roy Rogers, who contracted super bug Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) at the Intensive Care Unit of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital has refused to take him home until the doctors give him “a clean bill of health.”
Roy was discharged from the hospital last Sunday but he remains on Ward 21.
MRSA is found on the skin of many people and can cause sickness and death for patients whose immune system is compromised, such as those at hospitals.
In an interview at Newsday’s Port-of-Spain office, Mary Rogers said a report was made to the health ministry yesterday and she also met with the hospital administrator and nurses at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.
A senior matron at the meeting advised her to speak to the doctor at Ward 21.
However, when Mary went to the ward, a student nurse told her the doctor had left since 1 pm.
Fifty-seven-year-old Roy, a plant operator for Nastar, Sea Lots, has been hospitalised at PoSGH since September 22 after having emergency surgery for a gastric ulcer. He was initially warded at the Intensive Care Unit but transferred to Ward 21 on November 1.
Mary was notified by a doctor that while Roy was at the ICU “he picked up an infection.” She advised Mary that Roy would be discharged and she would have to take care of him at their La Seiva home. Mary said when she visited Roy yesterday, he was lying on disposable sheets because the hospital did not have any normal ones and were waiting on linen from the laundry. She is unhappy with the way her husband has been treated on the ward.
“He is conscious, but he is very weak. He could hardly stand on his own. They put the basin of water for him and he has to tidy himself, then they will come and take the basin away. The scorning I can’t take. He did not go to the hospital with MRSA.”
Mary insists that a specialist give the assurance that Roy is cleared of the bacteria. She told Newsday, while she has been giving him information “piece by piece” he is unaware that he has MRSA and would be devastated by the news.
Contacted about the case, Health Minister John Rahael said he was not aware of it but would enquire into the case. He said more information was needed from the hospital. Rahael said the rate of MRSA was not high in TT hospitals.
The last quarterly magazine of the North West Regional Health Authority (August) had an article on MRSA. The NWRHA Quality Research Officer, Diane Lewis was quoted saying: “Within healthcare facilities the risk of the spread of infection is high.”
She said recent reports of MRSA made it even more important for hospital staff to understand the importance of proper hand washing practices.
The article said the MRSA existed naturally in the atmosphere and did not affect healthy people but can have an injurious effect on patients in hospitals.
Lewis said, “MRSA and other bacteria spread in the hospital via the hands of healthcare staff. Therefore, the washing of hands is one of the simplest practices to avoid the spread of infection and it is important that basic infection control practices be utilised by staff.”
