Toxic ‘Sister’ poisoning Infectious Diseases Hospital ecosystem.

IN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, A ‘SISTER’ IS THE MEDIATOR between management and
clinical staff. Sisters are at the critical ‘point of care delivery’ where policy and aspirations collide with
operation realities. The job of a healthcare ‘Sister’ therefore includes both clinical and managerial
responsibilities.
The reality at the country’s Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, on the eastern corridor is urgent
that the Ministry of Health must dig in to the state of affairs there involving one of the ‘Sisters’ who, from
all information available to www.aroundtheregionss.com, from bitter complaints, is thoroughly toxic.
There has been an avalanche of complaints about her from nurses, doctors and patients: these
three groups are unanimous in their views that the ‘Sister’ is unprofessional. She reviles doctors,
nurses and patients with equal contempt. Some have requested a transfer, according to a
confidential source within the health ministry.
Somehow, her explosive wrath is well-known but tolerated by ministry of health decision-
makers.
“This is not the first time that relatives of patients at the hospital have been complaining. Several
relatives have complained repeatedly and everybody knows the ‘Sister’ as she is young. She goes
to the level to fight for a parking space and is always in a dispute with someone,” a senior doctor
related.
In Guyanese vernacular, the toxic ‘Sister’ “gives people her mouth”.
“This is how she speaks to people, its worst when she is speaking to her nurses. Even to the
physicians she speaks to like that.”
The verbal and attitudinal toxins spewed regularly at doctors, her colleague nurses and patients
surfaced publicly following Mr. Kenneth Blounte, a patient, social media complaints about his
starvation at the healthcare institution while battling the deadly COVID-19.

Officials at the Infectious Diseases Hospital acknowledged that while meals are routinely
available, and on time, several patients are too week to feed themselves. They admitted that
healthcare workers on duty provide little or no assistance to the hapless patients. Thus, their food
would be left lying there for days.
“Honestly the food comes on time and is there, but the persons who are responsible for getting
the food to the patients on time don’t get it done on time and that is the problem. This problem is
not from higher up, it is from right within the hospital there. There are many days that the food is
there but these patients get it hours after and, in most cases, it is only when a physician asks a
particular patient if they have eaten then you see everybody getting busy and then they get angry
when the patient complains about it,” a doctor admitted.
The Registrar was apprised of the anomalies, yet, “nothing has been done…and no one has been
held accountable.”
According to multiple confidential sources, nurses and doctors have had enough of the noxious
head nurse and are now reluctant to work along with her. One nurse recently strongly upbraided
her for ‘handling’ (verbally abusing) a COVID-19 patient.
“Many of these people coming here are confronted by fear that they may die, and she
makes their stay here worse…how she speaks to them. As such, many are afraid to say
anything, and, while some of the physicians ignore her, many of us are not prepared (to
accept) her nonsense. She should be removed as the stress she places on everyone will result
in persons not being willing to work,” one of the nurses at the Infectious Diseases Hospital
confessed.