On Wednesday, October 26, 1994, The Fiji Times had published an article about how medical authorities in the North were taking a hammering from members of the public who were complaining of poor services, blunt needles and inconsiderate doctors.

Several complaints had been lodged against an expatriate doctor at the Seaqaqa Health Centre and against the Labasa Hospital.

The complaints were about needles being used were blunt and there had been reports that these were regularly filed to keep them sharp.

The National Federation Party, on behalf of voters in Seaqaqa, had lodged a complaint of negligence against the Seaqaqa doctor.

The office of the sub-divisional medical officer Macuata had confirmed receiving complaints against the doctor, but could not comment further as investigations were still continuing.

The previous week, a mother of a five-year-old, who was refused medical services at the Seaqaqa Health Centre, had spoken to The Fiji Times.

Ana Maria Taqiri, of Nakala, took her son Waisea to the health centre on Sunday, October 16, after a three-and-a-half-centimetre long and three-millimetre-thick buabua splinter became lodged into his shin.

After being refused service at the health centre, Ms Taqiri took Waisea to Labasa Hospital on Monday, October 17, where he was admitted and discharged after two days.

Ms Taqiri then claimed that doctors at Labasa Hospital failed to remove the splinter, which had become imbedded into the muscle, and only bandaged the gash after stitching it.

A neighbour, Mohammed Gani, said he removed the splinter from the gash a day after Waisea was released from hospital.

To back up his claim, Mr Gani, a farmer from the Seaqaqa area, had filed a report with the Seaqaqa Police Station.

“I used a pair of tweezer to pull out the splinter after my son noticed it poking out of the gash.”

This followed the completion of an investigation by officials at the Labasa Hospital on a case involving a nurse who allegedly kicked an elderly patient.

Fifty-six-year old Muttamma of Vunivau claimed that a nurse had kicked her on the buttocks three times when she was unable to get up after using a bed pan, in the women’s medical ward on October 12.

Labasa Member of Parliament, Munasami Chinakannu was following up Ms Muttamma’s case, which he said was a serious breach of conduct on the part of the nurse.

Labasa Hospital authorities who had completed investigating the report on Monday, October 24, said no one was willing to talk as a witness.

However, they said the nurse had been transferred to another ward.

Ms Muttamma said from her home in Vunivau that she was feeling very weak and had been persistently complaining to the nurse.

“After using the bed pan on the floor, I could not get up and called for a relative of another patient to help me,” Ms Mutamma said.

“The nurse told the relative not to help me and that I should get up on my own or sleep on the floor.”

“When I continued complaining, the nurse came and kicked me three times in the buttocks.”

Ms Muttamma, a diabetic with a heart ailment and hypertension, was a frequent in-patient at the hospital.

She had been admitted for breathing problems and a heavy chest on Sunday, October 9, and the incident took place at 3am on Wednesday, October 19.

In another development, private practitioners in Labasa were complaining that their patients were being charged for using the Labasa Hospital ultra-sound scanning machines.

Patients who were referred to the hospital from private practitioners were being asked to pay $40 for an ultra-sound scan.

Ultra sound scanning at the hospital was done free of charge and until previously, was also free for patients of private doctors.

The machine was bought with funds raised during a Hospital Week function