Bascombe lawsuit against government hits snag

A lawsuit against the government for negligence in the death of Patrice Bascombe has been stalled.

Attorney Bayliss Frederick of Fredericks Attorneys said that the state-owned Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) has been dragging its feet on a request for the medical records and he will give them until today to produce the records or he will seek a Court order to force the hospital to hand over the records.{{more}}

Attorney Vynette Frederick, also of Fredericks Attorneys, said that the pace in the legal procedure coming from the MCMH was indicative of the malaise that Patrice encountered at the state-owned health institution.

“The fact that we are being held up because people don’t understand that disclosure is required just compounds the problem and makes me ask the question that Patrice asked when she was dying, ‘Aren’t they ready yet?'” she said.

She said that Vincentians stand to benefit from the lawsuit because this is the first time that the healthcare system is going to come under review before the court.

She argued that legal intervention would change the way in which things are done at the MCMH and this would contribute towards the improvement of healthcare for Vincentians regardless of their status in life.

The father and daughter legal team credits the parents of Patrice for ensuring that justice is carried out and that no other person would suffer a similar fate.

“Let her death be the last death on the basis of negligence!” said Vynette Frederick.