SMMC does not have qualified staff to deliver quality care, Daris Monsanto~
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/PHILIPSBURG:--- Daris Monsanto, the widow of the late Jacques Monsanto decided to break her silence from the Dominican Republic where her husband passed away on Tuesday evening. Speaking to SMN News Mrs. Monsanto said her husband died because the doctors at St. Maarten Medical Center did not deliver proper care to her husband and they even denied him his daily medication.
The bereaved wife said that her husband began having problems with SMMC about 10 years ago when he first had a surgery that was conducted by Dr. Felix Holiday. She said back then Dr. Holiday wanted to amputate her husband leg because of an infection that started after the surgery. Mrs. Monsanto said her husband opted for a second opinion and managed to keep his leg when treated abroad. Monsanto said in October 2017 her husband got an infection again and he went and saw Dr. Luc Mercelina who granted him his request and sent him off to the Dominican Republic where he was treated and sent back to St. Maarten. Monsanto said the injury and infection were not fully healed but her husband was doing better and the doctors in the Dominican Republic told him that he should see a doctor on St. Maarten as he continues to heal. Monsanto said that her husband was seeing his house doctor and when he began getting a fever some two weeks ago she went to SMMC where they saw Dr. Boon since Dr. Mercelina is busy with his political campaign. The woman said that ever since she took her husband to Dr. Boon she had to basically show him the areas she believes was also infected since the doctor was only looking at one area and not the whole leg. Mrs. Monsanto said that Dr. Boon did not even want to admit her husband and that he was giving him paracetamol and antibiotics even though he knew that her husband had a severe medical condition. She said she had to cry and begged the doctor to admit her husband because he began getting weak and was unable to stand or do minor things for himself. While at SMMC Monsanto said the hospital staff was not even giving her husband his daily medication and that she had to go and ensure that was done. She said her husband even saw Dr. Luc Mercelina and Dr. Holiday visiting patients last week while at SMMC and he personally begged Dr. Mercelina to see if he could speed up his evacuation to the Dominican Republic where he is treated but according to her Dr. Mercelina told her now deceased husband that he could not intervene or assist because he is now running for political office and him intervening will not serve him well, however, she said that Dr. Mercelina did promise her husband to speak to Dr. Boon to see if he could speed up the evacuation. The grieving wife said that Dr. Boon’s solution was to amputate her husband leg or do nothing.
Mrs. Monsanto said on Friday, February 2nd her husband was evacuated and the moment the doctor and nurse saw her husband when they reached St. Maarten their first questions were why her husband was not placed in the ICU department as his medical condition had deteriorated badly. She further explained that the doctors in the Dominican Republic wanted to know why her husband was not sent earlier and what types of doctors St. Maarten has because basic examinations were not conducted at SMMC. Mrs. Monsanto said that all the specialists in the Dominican Republic have questions as to why SMMC doctors took that long to react especially knowing that the infection had spread throughout his body.
Mrs. Monsanto plans to take legal actions when she returns to St. Maarten because she strongly believes that if her husband was given proper medical care or if SMMC had acted in a timely manner by admitting her husband and evacuating him earlier would have saved his life.
Mrs. Monsanto said that even though grieving her chose to break her silence because the people of St. Maarten must know what takes place at the St. Maarten Medical Center. She ended the telephone interview by saying her late husband would always say that certain politicians on St. Maarten are fighting for a New General Hospital but SMMC cannot recruit qualified doctors to treat the patients they have currently.
