First Lady cites T&T doctor for breach of medical ethics
--- to challenge 'misdirected' court action
by Shirwin Campbell
Guyana Chronicle
November 6, 2003
PARENTS of children who have benefited from medical services through the intervention of Kids First Fund have indicated their willingness to support First Lady Ms. Uma Jagdeo after it was announced that she was being sued by a Trinidadian doctor.
The First Lady met with members of the media yesterday in NTN studio to clear the air on issues leading up to the court action by Dr. Ramesh Mathura, a haematologist attached to Medical Associates Hospital Ltd. who treated eight patients from Kids First Fund.
Mrs. Jagdeo stated that the parents are prepared to present reports or even attend the court sessions in Trinidad in an effort to highlight the treatment Guyanese have been experiencing for some time now. "They are not treated well," the First Lady reiterated.
The doctor claimed that he is owed TT$234,800 in payments for his personal management fees from January 3 - July 17, 2001, a claim the First Lady said she had no knowledge of and never agreed to in any form.
Noting that the Fund had entered into arrangements with a hospital and not with Dr. Mathura, the First Lady said Kids First Fund is committed to honoring its expenses and has since paid Medical Associates in excess of G$7M.
She cited discrepancies in the doctor's calculations of fees and a breach of medical ethics.
Mrs. Jagdeo spoke of the doctor breaching medical ethics by taking passports of patients and their families and then threatening them with deportation if she did not pay his alleged fees.
Other inconsistencies she noted were:
* The first two children were admitted to Medical Associates January 3, 2001. There was no arrangement to pay any management fee. "The first indication that we were being charged for this was by bills dated February 7, 2001. These bills showed Dr. Ramesh Mathura's personal fees of TT$6,000 (Anil Ramnarine), TT$6,800 (Kelly Narine), TT$8,000 (Javed Rambarran), TT$4,000 (Trevayne Lewis) and TT$6,000 (Andrew Sibdhanie). A total of TT$30,800."
* A bill of TT$5,000 for prednisolone medication used over a one-month period for Teshana Singh aged two years. This same tablet was available in Guyana for approximately $10 each. "How is it possible that a two-year-old could use 10,000 steroid tablets in one month? This estimation brings me to the conclusion that she was given approximately 333 tablets per day," she noted and described it as "unbelievable."
* Trevayne Lewis was in hospital for 24 days. Two bills for that same period were submitted for two different amounts - one for TT$16,287.65 and the other for $18,450.45.
* Andrew Sibdhanie was admitted to hospital on January 19, 2001, survived five days and then died on January 24, 2001. The bill submitted by Dr. Mathura comprised of fees for the nursing home, TT$5,210, and Dr Mathura's personal bill of $6,000. A total of TT$11,210. "The highest accommodation charge per day according to our records was TT$495. This calculation somehow defies the laws of basic mathematics: Can$495 x 5 = TT$5,210?" she queried.
Ms. Jagdeo explained that after paying G$2M between January and March she stopped all payment after discovering irregularities.
She noted that her request for a patient's charts to verify what medication was used by the hospital and by Dr. Mathura was denied but Dr. Aroon Narayansingh, head of the hospital's customer service, promised to talk to Dr. Mathura.
She further stated that she met Dr. Mathura on several occasions and queried his system of billing and the sudden appearance of personal management fees, since she had never made such an agreement.
"He eventually agreed to waive all management fees and charge us only for medication used," she said. But he continued to put a management fee on his bills, passing it as medication.
First lady Jagdeo promised to take a stand and represent not only Kids First Fund but also Guyanese at large who depend on overseas medical institutions to better or save their lives.
"For the record I must inform all readers that Kids First Fund is a charitable, non governmental organization whose objective is to help poor children afford emergency medical treatment, regardless of race, religion and politics," Mrs. Jagdeo added.
A report was made to the Medical Council in Trinidad in 2001 but to date no response has been received, she noted.
"I will be challenging this misdirected court action by Dr. Ramesh Mathura and I am confident that I will be successful in not only winning the case but protecting the interest of the Guyanese people."