St John’s abused LHC financially

LINDEN HOSPITAL COMPLEX (LHC) FELT ABUSED and ended the arrangement with
St John’s Ambulance Brigade, a well-placed source disclosed. The source said the Brigade
demanded a 54 per cent hike in its annual charges forcing the Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region
Ten) health authorities to look elsewhere.
LHC sets aside $13M annually to pay the Brigade for its services, but this year it notified
executives that it will up fees to $20M, a $7M climb.
The authorities were appalled and discontinued its services at the end of pandemic-ravaged 2020.
“Our CEO, Mr. Rudy Small has embarked on transforming the LHC into the best regional
hospital as quickly as possible. This is certainly evident as we have seen that the staff were
inefficiently used but we are now seeing that the service is being provided with less staff,”
workers said.
They noted that over the years Brigade officials “were using 20 staff and now LHC is covering
all shifts with 12. That is the extent of the rip-off that LHC was going through.”
An analysis of the financial arrangement will show the Brigade was incapable of providing any
other service outside of First Aid and LHC felt “ambushed” for the past 12 years.
“If a patient was being rushed to Georgetown or to the hospital with a heart attack or any other
serious injuries there was nothing that they (Ambulance Brigade) can do because all they knew
was the basic first aid so it meant that the person would die before they reach the hospital.
Therefore, we could not continue this arrangement as the St John’s Ambulance Brigade failed to
upgrade and enhance the skills and knowledge of their staff thus leaving us at LHC at a great
disadvantaged,” a senior source said.
The lack of improvement meant LHC was forced to execute services the Brigade was paid to
carry out. They could no longer fork out $13M for only dispatching services.

“LHC was providing the ambulances, drivers, gas, repairs, nurses to go on the ambulance to
transport critically ill patients. The only thing that St John’s did was answer the phone,
dispatched the ambulance and a staff to go on the ambulance who could only do basic first aid.
The staff that they provided could not render lifesaving care to any patient,” the senior official
maintained.
St John’s never boosted its fleet of ambulances or sought to enhance other elements of the care
package it was contracted to provide the LHC.
“They did not purchase an ambulance, nor did they upgrade the skills of their employees, nor did
anything to improve the efficiency of the service. Yet they are getting a free pass from their
employees and Lindeners as the public and their employees should demand answers as to why
they are receiving $13M each year. But the salaries that they were paid and the service that
Lindeners were receiving were certainly an insult to all in Region Ten,” the official argued.