Two deaths in southern Belize have sparked a protest claiming negligence and malpractice at the Southern Regional Hospital. Family members of the young mother, Jayeisha Parchue, and Dangriga Town Council employee, Elroy Flores, say that the hospital employees’ indecisiveness and negligence led to the death of their loved ones.
Jayeisha Parchue is a 22-year-old, first time mother who sought medical attention at the hospital after complaining of acute stomach pain and for several days, she complained of the pain before being encouraged by her boyfriend to visit the hospital. She did and was instructed to return home until the end of the week and she did, this time accompanied by her mother, Marsha Romero. According to her mother, her daughter was taken to the ER where she was given drips and sent home. They returned later that night and Parchue was given an injection before again being sent home. She slept until the following morning when she again complained of feeling ill. Her mother returned with her to the hospital when she was finally admitted and was diagnosed with gastritis. According to Romero, an ER nurse said that her daughter needed to do an ultrasound but that never happened. Later that evening, Parchue was taken for an X-ray which showed a dark spot which was something like a boil squeezing her intestine. The following morning, a doctor visited her, who informed that she needed to undergo a surgical procedure but what followed was confusion among the hospital staff. While in the surgical ward, it was concluded that she in fact only had gastritis and would not need to undergo surgery.
Romero said that someone from the hospital staff returned saying that her daughter would be sent to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City for surgery because being that it was Sunday, they would not be able to do the procedure. He also said that they would perform urine and blood tests as well as another X-ray and it was in that X-ray room that she passed. While the family still has many questions, they are preparing to take legal action against the hospital.
The case of Flores is very similar in the sense that he went to the hospital seeking medical attention but was told that he was well and to return home by a doctor at the hospital. It was within 24 hours of being sent home that he passed.
While the community, especially residents of Dangriga, are in uproar, Minister of Health Hon. Pablo Marin says that it is impossible to comment on the situation until the Ministry of Health has done a final report to assess the situations.
