A St. Mark's resident is distraught over the uncaring attitude displayed to her by a police officer stationed at the Victoria Police Station.
Carol Frederick of Waltham, St. Mark's told GRENADA TODAY that on Sunday, December 9 at about 10:00 p.m. she went to the Victoria Police Station to seek assistance to get her one-year old baby boy to the General Hospital in St. George's for medical attention but was turned down by one of the police officers there.
Frederick who is the mother of six children said she was acting on the advice of medical doctor Peeta Vama to whom she took the child the day before to his medical office in Sauteurs to be treated for a chest cold.
According to her, the child was also having breathing problems and the medication she received from the doctor slightly helped Baby Junior, but then the following night he again developed the same breathing problem.
The 41-year old mother said when she reported the problem to Dr. Vama very late on the night, he advised her to go to the police station and asked for assistance in carrying the baby to hospital.
"I did do what he (Dr. Vama) told me. I went down there (at the police station) about ten o'clock. When I went I met an officer on the desk, I said officer good night... I said my baby (is) sick in my hand and I called the doctor and he told me to ask you all for assistance to bring the baby in the hospital.
"The police (at the desk) called the Sergeant... I don't know what the Sergeant told him... The one on the desk talked to the other police (officer) and he said he is not going any where," she said.
According to her, the police officer said this is not his job.
"I said officer that is all you can tell me," the distraught woman said.
Frederick said she was then advised by the diarist to call the ambulance driver but she did not have his phone number.
Frederick said with the baby in her hand she then went to the home of the Parliamentary Representative for St. Mark's, Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen who also advised her to go and look for the ambulance driver.
The distressed woman said she then proceeded to the home of the ambulance driver in Victoria where she failed to obtain a response from him.
According to her, two men who were sitting at the front of a shop door came to her rescue by purchasing for her four canfer and a tin of Vicks to rub the child.
This managed to keep the child in a stable condition for the rest of the night until next morning when Frederick took her baby to the Casualty Department of the General Hospital with the use of the bus service.
Baby Junior again became ill during the night of December 24, but medical attention was only able to be obtained at the General Hospital on December 27.
Frederick's home is one of the houses that was partly gutted by fire last August. The fire started from a nearby house which spread onto two other houses.
Frederick believes that because her house is not fully repaired and exposed to the elements of nature, this could contribute to her child's constant illness.
The unemployed woman said while the owners of the house where the fire started have been able to build back their homes, they have offered her no form of assistance.
However, she admitted that she did receive some government material that was sent to her but that is insufficient.
"From since that happened nobody ever come by me to see the damage. The Prime Minister came up here (and) he did not even ask me a question. He just talked to those (other people) whose house burnt down flat," she said.
She said she paid the plumber $350.00 to repair the plumbing that was damaged as a result of the fire.
According to her, the Roman Catholic Priest in Victoria, Fr. Greg McManus provided her with just over $700.00 to purchase the fittings.
Frederick believes that she is being discriminated against and spoke of having been neglected in the recent Christmas debushing programme.
She said that she was totally left out although she went in advance to register her name at the office which is located upstairs the Victoria Fish Market.
"Nobody ever asked me where I got the money to spend. I have two more windows to put back on for what were damaged," she remarked.
