DR. DEATH! - TnT Mirror.com

Woman’s windpipe cut instead of her tonsils
DR. DEATH!
... operating at San Fernando General Hospital

THE operating theatre of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) is being described as a morgue.

This, in light of the recent death of seven-year-old Claxton Bay schoolboy Kielon Campbell, who underwent what was considered routine surgery for the removal of tonsillitis and ended up dead on the operating table.

Inside, hospital sources told TnT Mirror that within recent times several surgeries have been botched and “we only wheeling out corpse”.

San Fernando General Hospital

They also said most of the “untimely” deaths never make the headlines as many families quietly accept their loss.

However, even as the South/West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) remain tightlipped about this latest mishap and a number of unsavoury reports coming out of the theatre, members of the Campbell family are said to be pursuing legal action against SFGH.

Campbell’s mother Nicole Campbell is a primary school teacher.

Mirror’s source revealed that the death of the San Fernando Boys Roman Catholic student has only served to open up a can of worms.

“You’ll be surprised to know that this has not been the only one within recent times,” the disturbed senior nurse told Mirror.

“I’ve been told of an 11-year-old boy dying under similar circumstances last November and the poor family just left it like that.

“Patients are going into the theatre for operations in a healthy state and coming out as corpses.”

She continued: “Last December, a clerk working at SFGH underwent a similar surgery and suffered excessive bleeding.

“She vomited a bowl of blood and is lucky to have survived, and that’s only because the nurses around her were vigilant.”

The angry nurse spoke of another incident, which caused eyebrows to raise at the institution.

KIELON CAMPBELL

KIELON CAMPBELL
... victim of Dr. Death.

“If you think those I have told you about were bad, what about the other hospital employee who also went to have her tonsils removed and they cut her trachea (windpipe) instead?” she deadpanned.

“And then there is the case of the woman who went for tubal litigation and was over-anaesthetised by a foreign doctor.”

The Princes Town mother of three is said to have suffered a heart attack as a result of what happened in the operating theatre with the anaesthetic.

“She never had heart problems before, but now she does and that’s because of what happened in the theatre,” Mirror was told.

To date, her tubes have still not been tied and reports are that she and her policeman husband are now seeking legal advice.

“What’s going on at SFGH?” the concerned nurse asked.

“Not everyone could afford to do surgery at a private nursing home and that’s the reason they go to the public hospitals.”

She further stated that surgery for the removal of tonsillitis can cost anywhere around $6,000 in private nursing homes, and normally lasts only about five to 10 minutes.

“A patient stays longer in the recovery room to allow the anaesthetic to wear off,” she explained.

Referring to the case of young Campbell, whose autopsy reports showed that he died as a result of asphyxia due to aspiration of blood, the nurse said the youngster was dead within two hours of surgery that Tuesday.

“He went into surgery at 9 a.m. and was not out until 7.30 p.m.,” she revealed.

“That operation should have never taken so long, but he developed complications and was sent to the ward.

“The ward sent him to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he subsequently died.”

She laid strong blame on theatre staff for the tragedy.

“That child died through slackness,” she went on.

“I blame doctors and nurses alike, as they were not suctioning blood as they should have.

“That surgery causes bleeding but it must be controlled.”

Mom NICOLE CAMPBELL and two sons still in shock

Mom NICOLE CAMPBELL
and two sons still in shock
and grief.

KIELON’s classmates at his funeral

KIELON’s classmates at his
funeral.

Saying that the facility is only as good as the nurse, she said if nurses are not observing and reporting to the doctor, “all fall down”.

“I heard that all the child’s tonsils didn’t come out; I also heard that it was an intern who performed the surgery,” added the angry nurse.

She also reported that a number of expensive machines have been malfunctioning at the hospital.

“And that is deliberate,” she argued “It is a trend that is continuing.

“Certain doctors want you to take your services to their respective nursing homes.

“This has been going on for many years now and the Health Ministry has been trying to break the neck of it, but to no avail.”

A recent report stated that last January, 23 patients died on Ward 10.

The alarming figure is said to be one of the highest ever on any one single ward for a one-month period.

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