A man is demanding answers from the Ministry of Health after he did not receive pain medication at the Labasa Hospital despite waiting for over two hours, as the keys to the medicine cabinet were with someone who was not at the hospital.
Hemendra Prasad, who had earlier questioned the competency of doctors, claims his spinal injuries were not picked up at the public hospital and were only detected later through a private scan and MRI two years after his accident.
Prasad says he suffered serious injuries in a tractor accident in 2020 and continues to face health issues and severe pain as a result.
He says he went to Labasa Hospital last Thursday morning to get medication for severe pain where a nurse gave him an injection as temporary relief, but after seeing the doctor, he waited for more than two hours for medication.
Prasad says he eventually had to leave because the pain became unbearable, and he went to a private hospital to get the medication he needed the next day.
He further says he has been told he will need spinal surgery, which can be done locally, but he has no faith in Fijian doctors as they were not able to determine the extent of his injury initially.
Prasad says following the injury, he had gone to the hospital and was sent home with only pain medication and has since been making repeated visits to the hospital.
The Ministry of Health has not responded to our questions since last week.
