Dr. Bulwer says Commission owes sister an apology
The three man Commission of Inquiry which recommended a reprimand for serologist Leona Garbutt was heavily criticized by Garbutt’s brother, Dr. Bernard Bulwer on last night’s One On One with Dickie Bradley. Commissioner Paul Rodriguez, who was also on the show, defended the work of the Commission, saying a week of testimony was thoroughly sifted and verified. Bradley asked Rodriguez what he makes of the findings.
Dickie Bradley, Host, One On One
“Having gone through this voluminous documentation and looked at the results of the Commission of Inquiry basically you all are saying it boils down to human error because of a number of circumstances, a set of disaster, waiting to happen. You’ve made a number of recommendations and you’ve also said the serologist should be reprimanded which is a mild form of saying you’ve got a memo and that’s it. But you’re saying that not even that is good enough? Are you saying the person aren’t not to be blamed at all?”
Dr. Bernard Bulwer
“I agree. This report needs to be heeded, such as, have the blood bank on duty twenty-four hours, have somebody at the lab twenty-four seven. In the matter of Leone Garbutt’s character she really has been done wrong. If I’m wrong I will apologize to the people of Belize. I would wish that the commission, these honourable gentlemen with all their well meaning…I believe that they have err in a person’s character and I would really hope that there would be a public apology if indeed it is found that they have erred and which is what I believe.”
Paul Rodriguez, Commissioner
“I think Dr. Bulwer reads our report as being one that says this person is incompetent and of course that is not so. When I read the report again, what we are saying is this person made an error.”
The Commission of Inquiry was appointed by the Prime Minister to investigate the transfer of HIV Positive blood to three patients at the K.H.M.H. between March twenty-seventh and April third. A repeat of the One On One show airs Sunday morning at ten.
