Dear Editor,

 

I refer to the article captioned "Berbice vendor claims medical negligence" (29.3.2004).

This article sickened me and an impartial investigation is warranted to punish the guilty persons, compensate the family for their loss, and remedy the problems in this hospital.

I left Guyana in 1970 when the New Amsterdam hospital was in reasonably good shape and though I haven't been back since, I can imagine the degradation in our medical facilities, not only in New Amsterdam but across this land I still like to call my home.

I don't have to return to Guyana "to see for myself", because your excellent coverage in "Local News", confirmed by reports from friends and relatives who visit the county, provide all the information I need to form an opinion.

The picture is not pretty: the daily crime, the ineffectiveness of the police, the foul language spoken in public, the rotting garbage in the streets, the disrepair in schools, the breakdown in civility, reckless driving, and the list goes on.

They belie all claims that the country is getting better. Better in what sense? If that is what one calls progress, I don't need more.

I am not optimistic that even with an impartial investigation into the cause of Mrs Punwasy's death any good will come out of it, and that too is deeply troubling, for it calls into question a) accountability, b) good governance, and c) commitment to standards. Any talk of progress without these is just "talk".

Yours faithfully,

Terence Yhip

Canada