Published: 20th of November, 2025 by Patrick Carpen
Last updated: November 20, 2025 at 23:11 pm
A Guyanese nurse who served her country for about a decade before taking up a job offer in the UK has related a harrowing experience which led to her brother’s death in neighboring Boa Vista, Brazil. While she pointed out negligence at the Brazilian medical facility, the emphasis here is the fact that the Lethem Regional Hospital lacks the necessary equipment and human resources to handle such cases. As such, she is calling for life-saving improvements in the prayer that no other person or family should suffer a similar fate because of this level of medical incompetence.
The text below was reproduced from the Facebook Page of Rupununi-born medical practitioner, Diane Bernard Niewenkerk.
In Loving Memory of my Brother 
HENRY BERNARD
A Call for Awareness and Better Healthcare in Guyana
Some people are lucky enough to have had a good experience, but this is our sad experience 
On October 24th, 2025, my brother, a father of four and the only son of our elderly parents, suffered a workplace accident in Lethem when several cement blocks fell on his left foot. He was diagnosed with a complex distal tibial fracture and was stable when he was referred to Boa Vista, Brazil for further care.
I was with him after his surgery in Boa Vista. He was fully conscious, oriented, speaking with me, and recovering. An external fixator was placed temporarily until swelling decreased for a second surgery. I returned to Guyana on the 25 October believing he was stable.
On October 26th, he called home saying he wanted to come back because he felt okay. He had a long conversation with our father who promised him that we would travel the next day to visit him. There were no signs of distress. But early on the 27th, we received a shocking call saying he had become aggressive and had been sedated. Soon after, we were told he had a heart attack and was intubated.
When I arrived at the hospital, my brother was in critical condition. As a nurse, I asked basic medical questions: lab results, scans, cardiac tests, kidney function, medications, and the plan of care. Shockingly, the attending doctor could not provide answers. To this day, we have no answers! Blood and urine samples were only taken after my questions, raising serious concerns about his earlier care and monitoring. That same night, my brother passed away.
His death was recorded as metabolic acidosis, cardiac arrest, and respiratory distress. But the sudden decline, the lack of information, the poor communication, and signs of possible mishandling left our family devastated and full of unanswered questions. They killed my brother. He went for a fractured foot and came home in a coffin. His death came as a shock to all who knew him. He was not sick or anything of that sort.
This is not to blame any individual. This is to bring awareness. Families should not have to experience this.
Why can’t Lethem Hospital perform a simple emergency external fixator? I personally spoke to one of the senior personnel at this hospital and was informed that the hospital is not equipped with instruments to perform an external fixator which is a simple emergency procedure. Why are we sending patients to a facility where monitoring and communication are inconsistent? I am pleading with the Government of Guyana: Please equip Lethem Hospital with the necessary instruments and resources to manage orthopedic emergencies. It could save lives and prevent families from going through what we did.
Dear Guyanese public,
If you are left with no option and have to be sent to Boa Vista, please make sure you have someone to stay at your side at all times. Our mistake was to leave my brother on Sunday without anyone at his side. We placed our trust in the hospital, and they have failed us. Boa Vista hospital is overcrowded, lacking resources and staff; they are literally a hell hole. The Brazilian news state that this hospital is being sued by numerous families for deaths caused by negligence. My brother even had signs of his humerus being tampered with!
We loved my brother dearly, and we share this painful experience in hopes that it will protect others. No family should endure this kind of loss.
Special thanks to the consulate of Guyana who helped us with everything we needed to bring my brother’s body back to Guyana for the burial.
Note: I was going to pursue this matter but due to my parents’ request and their current fragile state of health, I will rest this case.
PLEASE SHARE OUR STORY TO BRING AWARENESS.
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