Two year old Kimorah Leslie died and the hospital and its former neurosurgeons are still fighting to point the last finger. And while they sermonize from the height a small child's grave, the fact of the matter is that the problems that caused her death, be it institutional or otherwise still linger within the KHMH. As that happens there is still a desperate need for neurosurgeons and neurosurgery at the KHMH. Today Alfonso Noble found two cases crying out for attention.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
10-year-old Marleni Magana has been at the KHMH for almost a month now and her family has no clue what her condition is.
Delma Pena,
"She needs that the doctor attend to her. The family would really like that the doctor can come to the hospital to give us information on the little girl. Because I think that the problem between the doctor and the hospital that's another problem. We would like the doctor to help us."
Marcus Martinez, Brother in law
"Actually she needs an operation right now which costs $18,000. She has brain damage right now."
Alfonso Noble,
The operation will be for what?
Marcus Martinez,
"The operation will be for her head. The doctors are giving us hope. We are waiting for Dr. Cervantes to come in and attend to the little girl right now. Since the 5th of April she has been in here and the family is cooperating but we are short (on cash) right now and we need some help from the people out there. We are asking for help right now."
And as family members for Marleni Magana wait by her bedside so too does the mother of 21 year old Versain Rodriguez. He was involved in an accident in Corozal on Friday of last week. Today, he is laid up in bed. He has a broken leg and
numerous other injuries. Among those injuries is a blow to the head. As his mother Maria Rodriguez tends to him at his bedside she holds a prescription given to her by medical staff at the KHMH. What you see is what he needs; the prescription says one word, "neurosurgeon." Very much like Marleni, Versain is laid up in bed simply waiting. There is no disputing that they are being attended to but the question is if the attention is adequate at what's supposed to be the country's national referral hospital.
Marleni Magana is in need of an $18,000 surgery while Rodriguez is also in need of financial assistance as he also needs the services of a neurosurgeon. Magana's family can be contacted at telephone number 604-5972 while Rodriguez's can be contacted at 602-2690. As for the KHMH, we are advised that the hospital is negotiating to retain the services of a foreign neurosurgeon who works privately in Belize.
