Did ants feast on the foot of a man in Northern Regional Hospital
Allegations of negligence are commonplace among the nation’s health posts and hospitals, but tonight there is a bizarre case under investigation. The report is that ants were feeding on an elderly patient at the Northern Regional Hospital. A visiting relative of another patient claims that she and a friend detected a swarm of ants feasting on the toes of Larry Williams, a newspaper vendor. The woman, who requested anonymity, said that she brushed off the insects and alerted one of the nurses on duty. The response, however, was not what she expected. This morning, Williams passed away. News Five’s Marion Ali went to Orange Walk Town and has details on this story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The sign near the entrance of the Northern Regional Hospital says “Providing the best service” but to the contrary there is an allegation of neglect of newspaper vendor, Larry Williams. Williams, who lived alone at this house on Gravel Lane in Orange Walk Town up to a few months ago, had to be hospitalized at the Northern Regional up to the time of his death for an acute illness. But it was what one woman who for two weeks has been visiting another patient in the same ward allegedly observed that prompted her to sound the alarm. It is not clear if Williams’ toes got these open sores but the allegation by the woman is that she had been massaging his leg on occasions when she visited because he could not move it. But last night when she went to see her relative, she observed ants on the sores. She said she brushed them away before taking this picture with her cell phone. She also reports there were insects on the bed. The woman said she was alarmed when the nurse on duty dismissed her observation about the ants saying that there was nothing more they could do for the patient and that he had no one to care for him.
News Five visited the Northern Regional Hospital today and tried to get an on-camera interview with the Acting Administrator, Dr. Jair Osorio. He told us that he only heard of the allegation and was just about to begin an investigation into the matter. There was no one else available to comment since no one had authority to entertain our questions. Marion Ali for News Five.
Larry Williams is said to have only one relative, a sister living in the Stann Creek District.
QUESTION:- Were the nurses “imported” or Belizean????????????
Yeap, how sad. This guy does have family residing in Dangriga where he’s originally from. He has a nephew by the name of Eugene Williams that reside on St. Vincent Street across from Habet’s Hardware Store. God Bless the lady that was so caring for someone she probably didn’t know and may Larry Rest In Peace.
not surprising in any way…TIB:This is Belize…
I’m not sure if anger or sadness is what I am feeling right now. This man had no family around to speak to the nurses & the ones who have families are tired of being hogged up by the nurses. Can we include some form of sensitivity training for our nurses so that they people can fake a conscience? Where were these nurses trained; KHMH?
Maybe it is time we seriously address euthanasia with terminally ill patients because being eaten while we are still alive has to be worse than death.
When the police takes time off for abuse or negligence the soldiers are pissing people off, it seem like the hospital is no different. The police department, the army, or the hospitals are always in the headlines, what does this say about that system in belize.
Again, the woman should have taken the picture with the ants feeding on the man’s foot, and not removed the evidence before taking the picture for the public to see, this shot again shows no evidence of wrong doings.
If you have no money, no family and you are sick in belize, may god have mercy on you.
Just another sad story….I hope the NCA is reading this or better yet, I will call Lindy Jeffery to look into this matter. It is my obligation as a responsible citizen…..seems like when we got no one to care for us….hospitals should just give up….its a shame
Unfortunately we do have a lot of personell working at our nations hospitals who are overworked, stressed and seem not to care about the patients in thier care. Most of them show absolutely no care in thier job. They seem to hate the job they are doing and that you the patient seem to be getting in the way. I have been to public hospitals in Beliz and have seen this first hand. And it runs down the entire hospital administration, from the nurses, to the doctors. Now and then you actually find someone who smiles and cares..but that would be if you are really lucky. I have also been to hospitals in Mexico and Guatemala and there things are totally different, there you see smiles..and the nurses actually care to know your name and what is wrong with you..when the nurses and doctors walk into the room..they have a big smile and a “how are you feeling”. It feels so good to know someone else wants to know how you feel when you are sick…so why can’t we get that here in Belize…there’s a good question….
shame on the nurses, I think the person in charge of all the nurses should step down, seems that even nurses wants to behave like policemen, My goodness, yu check out san igancio hospital, they have an elderly belizean nurse was is already retired, and she is still working and i am telling you she behave like if she is Gods give to the world, she treat patients like animals, she behave like if everybody have to bow down to her, they say she was a top nurse in Belize city once and it seems her positon went up her head, Please minister or anybody remove this nurses from our public hospitals, we don’t really need them, and look please look into what happen to the poor man foot in OW
Ants in a Hospital huh what a disgrace its like going to a nasty restaurant to eat damn Belize come better than that noh !!! it sad to hear but also mad to know
THIS IS REALLY OUTRAGOUS
what is happening to our public places, mein we’re in a bad situation, is there anybody in the gov. that can think of how the nation stands with all these things happening, aren’t they feeling shame? minister of health please, please lookout for this cases, it’s a health place and we seek help not to find our death with a situation like these where the neglect is over the limit where in bed a patient is tormented by ants. damn!!
Aren’t these nurses requires to check on their patients on a regular basis?
I would more expect to fine ants in the Sugar factory in Orange walk and not on a patient’s feet in the Northern Regional Hospital.
Elgin, not because I know this person that I’m tearing up my brother. All these things are elemetary stuff. This is just to show us that nobody give’s a damn anymore. I read this article as it came out last night and I barely got any sleep over it. We the Citizens of Belize has to do something about restoring our Country. We are the ones that elect these people into office and according to the PM we now have the previlege to recall or get rid of them as we see fit. You kill wa snake by ih head, den you chop it up to pieces. I LOVE my Country but ah di get too frsutrated now.
If you are reading this post, then chances are that you have your own computer or laptop or have a good job with internet and can read and post. My point is that you are well enough financially to have the choice not to go to our Belizean Public Hospital. But take a pause and realize that thou we have to choice to get private care…way too many hard working Belizeans have to put up with the crap and bad administration that DOES EXIST in our public hospitals. We may have a choice but for others the public hospital is the only choice. and that makes me so sad.
HEY……..Oscar965…….. Belizeans are smart…… they can be trained to courteous and professional.
If this story is a factual account of what took place it is a very sad story. Any individual admitted to a hospital should feel confident that the healthcare workers will care for them with dignity and respect, and that their safety will be paramount.
With such a gravely ill man, certainly the nurses should have noticed this situation during their regular assessments.
OUTRIGHT DISGRACE…by these ppl who called themselves “Professionals”. First off, what the hell is ants doing in a hospital??? Don’t they clean & sanitize the building?? Secondly, it seems as if this man was left unattended for some time. Shame, Shame & Shame, whats makes it more sickening is that the idiots in the health ministry will come up with some bulls%$t story or excuse as to what happen with his man. When will Belize EVER GET IT RITE????
Q:-…………..ARE THE NURSES BELIZEAN or “IMIGRANTS/ /IMPORTED”?????????????????????
Sue the hell out of these people and fire the head nurse.Or the person assigned to that specific Ward.
Bulba Martinez and all my Belizean brothers and sisters just keep the fire burning.That’s the only way change is going to come to out Jewel.
fire the person who was responsible for this poor man! bad apples have to go one by one!
tim
One of the most disturbing things is this, none of the people responsible will read what is written in these columns, and they don’t care unless the unfortunate situation happens to them or a close relative. Usually when a person is affected by crime, illness or some catastrophe is when they cry foul and take up defensive arms against God or man.
From top to bottom they don’t give a damn about those that can’t afford better health care or living conditions for that matter; Belize has gone to the dogs maybe because of our cumulative attitude of not caring enough for each other’s and to rise up against the powers of evil that are destroying our people/country.
We can write books in these columns and get no positive results because we all are missing some of the greatest elements we need to solve most of our human crisis “LOVE” and that of the most high.
Soh Jah Seh
Earl grey: what difference does it make? people are people. Of course, is somebody does something wrong can’t be belizean, right?
hi not all nurses are the same. some do have dirty attitudes but the new sister in charge for san ignacio is very passionate about her job and the attitude of her nurses. i have seen he in the mornings when i go visit the doctors to get my medication. she always has a smiling face and the other nurses could learn somethings including P.R from her. so in my opinion-DO NOT LET ONE ROTTEN APPLE SPOIL THE WHOLE BUNCH..
I am currebtly living in the u.s. and someday was planning to come back home to live, but with all this, it would’nt encourage me, especially that my wife and I needs medical attention. I would’nt want to be eaten alive by ants, I’d rather die from other natural causes. I always talk to friends about my beautiful country belize, and how the people are loving and treat others so well, but now I am so embarrased with this situation. I hope my Friends would not read this news. Its ashame because a lot of tourist visited belize and they might change their mind, because if they get ill there, they wll be afraid that they might be treated like (worse than dogs) on the street. Thats one of my main concern .
my father was in the NRH and he too had problems with ants in the bed. so much so that his foot had to be cut off.
Nigerians and Cubans are taking over nursing
It’s really sad reading all these comments about this incident. It was very negligent yes and unacceptable, but it was 1 isolated incident and we can’t be putting down the entire health system because of a few ignorant persons…i consider myself a professional and i have to admit there are only but a few of us nurses who remain true to our pledge and profession. That in itself is a very sad reality. I love my work, and it hurts to know that with all the good most of us try to do on a daily basis with little to no support from our administration and now our people we are still only remembered when something bad happens…I’ll continue to be true to my profession despite all the negativity, because nursing is my life and my passion and i’m proud to say i’m very good at it….and yes, sometimes we do forget to smile..we are human beings and at times have really bad days too like everyone else!!
you think ants is the onlt thing in those hospitals? we went to khmh and the mosquitos were eating us alive in that place. and how ironic that my son was waiting to hear if he has dengue. he probably got it right from those mosqitos in the emergncy room.
Sad to hear what happen to this man. But it is true there are ants in this hospital. I gave birth to my child a year ago at the Northern Hospital and my mom and I had to be killing some ants so that they do not climb my bed. We told the nurses and they looked at us in any angry manner because we had ask to clean my area. This is very shameful that this situation is not yet addressed. Min of Health should really do something about it. And l like always they will address the matter when something terrible like this happens.
Soh Jah Seh….DITTO to everything you said. There is absolutely NO LOVE in Belize and that is the biggest problem. Also no one is accountable in this country no matter where you go in Belize you get inferior service and no one takes responsiblity I am sure someway somehow the nurse will blame the incident on the poor old man. Don’t be surprise if she claims he brought the ants in and demanded they chew his toe. THAT IS BELIZE…….nothing is no one’s fault when they do wrong. AS it’s been said the people that need to see these comments will never see it and life goes on in Belize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those who has never been out side of Belize they do not have any frame of reffrence whereby to compare anything that goes on in this country, but for those who has travel abroad and don’t go with their eyes close, will realize beyond a doubt that the majority of the attitude of Belizeans stinks to the core, which begins at the airport or at the boarder immegration officers. For those who understand the culture the bad attitude is business as usual. Its good to see that this situation has tuch so many sensative nerves. Again I say, just look at the behavour in the House of Representatives, little or no civility toward each other. We boast about the jewel, this is a dirty jewel that needs to be clean from top to bottom. IF THAT WILL EVER TAKE PLACE. Pride (empty pride) goeth before a fall,and there’s much of if to spear in Belize.
This is a really sad story. People on a whole who works in the hospital, mainly, should not take up a job that they don’t give a damn about., if you just want money find another job that doesn’t involve people’s lives. How would the nurses, doctors, aides like for them to be treated like how they treat their patients they should be thinking about themselves and how they would feel.
I am a certified home health aide and i do love my job in taking care of people. If you have the love for it then you do it but not just for the money. People think it’s a game but it definitely sure as hell not, they would not like it if their family or themselves were treated like that. Just remember people what goes around comes around, don’t do onto others what you wouldn’t want to be done to you.
The attitude displayed by this nurse is typical in many government departments and even by some employees in the private sector.
Maybe management in the government depts and the private sector should implement some customer care and sensitivity training to all new employees. Starting with new employees may generate a totally different attitude after couple years.
Belize is basically a new nation and it will take time for us to catch up with the world. It appears,many employees who interacts with customers don’t smile when interacting with customers. God knows they have their reasons.
orange walk hospital has some cubans or foreign nurses working there… i had the privilidge of witnessing what really happens behind closed dooors.. I was n the maternity room when my wife was having my little princess. mein those nurses are rough.. one lady baby died in her stomach and they didn’t do anything to help.. the lady keep telling them operate me!!! and they are like.. no it has to come out normal.. and she said i am not experiencing any pain.. and they checked her and told her you are starting to open.. 24 hrs passed she still lying down on the bed.. when left i shove a 500 dollar under her pillow and told her to go to a private doctor.. and then of course the nurses got mad at me.. oh, did i mention that because i was more concerned that they gave my wife a hell of a time.. then the princess was coming.. my wife told them “my baby is coming out” and they were all giggling in a corner and then she went into the bathroom “to have my princess’ and that’s when they went to see her and took her into the delivery room! Thank God she took 15 mins and there she was,., and i was like “can she go home NOW”!
It’s a crazy house there.. and I am sure all over the country!
Oh my listen to all these people nurses are bad nurses are rough nurses nurses nurses as old folks would say two sides to a story or a pinch of salt i smile at the comment (tim) if you do something good its from the heart and not from the mouth 500 ha most people work for the goverment sector and the attitudes that people walk into a office,clinic, hospital, school anywhere is terrible example:hospital (i want a ticket )not good morning can i have a ticket please bid the time of day it makes a diffrence example:school parents walk up to the teachers curse them treathen them because there child was disciplined my point is if you work together along with the nurses the teachers the whole system as florence said were all humans not god he is perfect not us what most people dont believe in is patients and believe me i have been a patient in the hospital and think our belizean nurses have PATIENTS and more they have some time 8 patients or more to one nurse where in which part of the world those that not the U.S.A for sure been there there is like 4 nurses for each patient one to do vital one to give medications one that monitors one to keep the patient tidy so of course one can stay happy