“They want you to stay home and die.” Family of stroke victim claim he was turned away from PMH

“They want you to stay home and die.” Family of stroke victim claim he was turned away from PMH
Princess Margaret Hospital.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The family of a 58-year-old man who was allegedly turned away from Princess Margaret Hospital while suffering from a stroke, are expressing anger and disappointment in the healthcare system.

Dion Barr, 58, died last week Thursday, two days after having a stroke.

Dion Barr, a father of five, died two days after he was allegedly denied access to the hospital and told to seek care at a clinic.

His brother, Keith Barr, believes the 58-year-old may have still been alive today if he was seen immediately by doctors during their first attempt to seek emergency care.

Barr said he was advised of his brother’s condition during midday Tuesday and rushed to his side to find that he could not move or talk.

He told Eyewitness News Dion was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle after emergency operators said there were no ambulances available.

Barr said when they arrived at PMH some 30 minutes later, they were told by security guards that he would not be admitted and he was better off going to a clinic.

He said he pleaded with the guards to get his brother some help because his pressure was high and he “looked like he was ready to die on me”.

However, Barr said he was told repeatedly that his brother was not going to get served at the hospital.

“It will take longer to get served here,” he said the officers told him.

Barr said it took another 30 minutes in traffic for him to get his brother to the Anne’s Town Clinic, only to be told that healthcare professionals could not see him.

He said he was told by a nurse that he should not have brought him to the facility and that he needed to take him back to the hospital because there was no doctor was at the clinic.

“It’s like they didn’t want to take him,” Barr said.

“…I telling them y’all please save my brother, please help my brother.”

After begging the workers at the clinic to take a look at his brother, Barr said a nurse finally decided to bring a machine outside to check his blood pressure and blood sugar and found that both had skyrocketed to dangerous levels.

It was then that the workers at the clinic called an ambulance to take the 58-year-old man back to the hospital.

“All this time we were calling the ambulance, no ambulance available,” Barr said.

“So if no ambulance available they just want us to leave our family members on the side of the road half dead instead of bringing them to the hospital.”

The ambulance took 20 minutes to get to the clinic and another 15 minutes to get to the hospital, he said.

“All of that time, I could see my brother was already damaged,” Barr said.

“I could see how he was vomiting all of these blood clots.”

Barr said he took the ride in the ambulance back to the hospital and was advised by EMT personnel that there were no beds in the ICU, but they could “see what they could do to help Dion”.

“I don’t know where they put him, I don’t know what else happened after that,” he said.

After his brother was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, Barr said it was the last time anyone spoke to him before he died.

Barr said that he went back to the security officers who initially turned him away to confront them about rejecting his brother from the hospital.

Those officers reportedly told him that many other people seeking care have had to be turned around and rejected from the facility.

He said the only way he believes anyone can get emergency help is if they enter the facility in an ambulance.

“If you come in a private car, you are not getting served in that hospital”, he said.

“You need to come with an ambulance and the ambulance don’t be available.

“They want you to stay home and die.”

Barr noted that since the death of his brother, family members are sad and angry over the way he was treated.

“Everyone has this anger in their hearts, including me,” he said.

“We have this anger in our hearts. Why they just couldn’t help him? Why they had to have us running up and down all over the place; running up and down for an hour and a half just to get him to the doctor.”

Barr added that he believes the current coronavirus situation in The Bahamas has impacted people being able to receive regular care, even if it is not COVID-related.

“That’s the whole problem, ain’t everything is COVID.”

While the Public Hospitals Authority was reached for a response, no comment was provided up to press time.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.

5 comments

Hence the reason the PM back in March advised us to stay home and adhere to the safety protocols. He feared this day would come and now it is here.

Your response is insensitive and lack compassion to the family of the deceased. It also speaks to the lack of server-tude in our government and health care system. We are a nation of a little more than four hundred thousand if its that much. We have hardly eperience what an epidemic of such can really do to a small nation like ours. Thank God the hand of God is guiding us. This government has failed the Bahamian people, we are better than this our country can carry way better than this. How ever because this goverment has no vision they want to lock the people down. All those facilities that the previous government build in abaco, exuma, cat island and grand bahama should have been open and in use. So hence princess margret is over flowing. Thats not all we have this government needed innovative ideas but no they rather lock the people down rather than come up with a plan.

We voted for A doctor leader to improve or hospital and health system.But obviously he doesn’t no what he is doing.Its 10 times worst than it ever was God help us poor bahamian’s

Terrible, I can relate to this family’s story as this past Friday i was turned away by my own private clinic when I called regarding wheezing issues and told I need to go to hospital as they do not accept patients returning with re-occurring symptoms as 3wks ago I had been there as I was very ill with what felt worse than malaria symptoms and my doctor believed I had COVID after examining me and stating no malaria mosquitoes in The Bahamas which I am aware of. He recommended a COVID test and sent me home to quarantine for 14 days with Chloroquine, Zinc, vitamin D, puffer and another steroid oral medication. Later I tested negative for COVID from Doctors Hospital on Blake Rd and after following up with my private doctor regarding my results he mentioned that I do have COVID and lately they are getting a lot more false negatives though patients clearly present COVID symptoms and that I do have COVID. My breathing has not improved as of this morning I am upset that my private clinic turned me away and told me go to hospital and so today I am seeking a different clinic that will see me. This story hit home and reason I had to share mine as now I feel that though I show up at hospital as advised by my clinic I will be turned away and told to go back to the clinic…..this is very sad and extremely confusing to patients desperate and in need of urgent medical care like this man who sadly lost his life. Condolences to his family and friends and may he Rest In Peace.

Well said, these people have to be cold blooded, if they are people, they maybe lizard people impersonating humans.

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