Family seeks answers from KPH after elderly accident victim dies

A fAMILY is in turmoil following the death of their 79-year-old patriarch, Headley Golding, just two days after the hit-and-run victim was transferred to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).

The distraught family is now demanding an independent autopsy to determine the cause of death, as they harbour concerns about the medical care he received at KPH.

The unfortunate chain of events began on the night of October 15, when Golding, a resident of Trelawny, was involved in a hit-and-run accident on the Church Pen main road in Old Harbour, St Catherine. He had been visiting friends in Old Harbour when the tragic incident occurred.

Owen Cammock, a friend visiting from Canada who was with Golding at the time, said they were attempting to cross the road when a motorist stopped to let them pass and, while attempting to cross, the accident occurred.

“Another vehicle came out of nowhere, struck Mr Golding, and fled the scene. I was left shaken by the incident and had no time to identify the car or its driver,” Cammock told The Gleaner.

Committed to getting Golding the medical attention he needed, Cammock said he rushed him to the Spanish Town Hospital, and called his son-in-law, Herbert Williams, who lives in Spanish Town, to meet them at the hospital, where he arrived to find doctors trying to stabilise the elderly man.

Williams commended the professionalism of the medical staff at the Spanish Town Hospital, who, after initial tests, indicated that there were no broken bones. It was determined that further brain-related examinations were required, which were unavailable at that hospital. As a result, Golding was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at KPH.

“It was at KPH that our ordeal began. Mr Golding was not immediately admitted to the ICU, as ordered by doctors at Spanish Town Hospital,” Williams said.

He added that he was feeling tired from being at the hospital all night until morning, so he left briefly to get some rest, but returned before the scheduled visiting hours, only to find his Golding in the same condition as when he left.

“I attempted to inquire about my father-in-law’s condition, but the nurse on duty ordered me to leave, citing that it was not yet visiting time. When the scheduled visiting time arrived and I went to the ward, he was still unattended,” Williams said.

In a desperate attempt to address the situation, Williams said that he contacted his sister-in-law, Nicole Golding Stewart, who is a medical practitioner in the United States.

“Despite the family’s requests, the hospital staff refused to move Mr Golding to the ICU, claiming that ‘old people don’t go to ICU’,” Williams said.

Golding Stewart said the situation worsened as the doctor on duty refused to speak to her on the phone about her father’s condition.

Williams said he eventually left the hospital, only to return the next day with Golding’s wife, when they were devastated to learn that he had passed away. His body had already been transferred to the morgue.

The family said they had been desperately trying to get answers from the hospital since Golding’s death on October 17, but their efforts have been in vain.

Dr Natalie Whylie, CEO of the Kingston Public Hospital, expressed condolences to the Golding family.

“We will thoroughly investigate the complaints by the family as per hospital policy and communicate directly with the family of Mr Golding,” Whylie told The Gleaner.

The St Catherine South police are investigating the accident.

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