Mocho resident needs urgent life-saving care

The family of Romario Manning is seeking assistance to have him transferred to an intensive care unit (ICU) at Hospiten in Montego Bay to undergo at least three life-saving surgeries.

The family say the Montego Bay-based institution is their last resort, as they were told by several hospitals that there is no space to accommodate their relative. The family is, however, struggling to find the $600,000 to $1 million required to start Romario's treatment.

"The doctors had accepted him at UWI (University Hospital of the West Indies, UHWI), but (there is) no space in the ICU. We have been trying from Friday evening, and there is still no space. A doctor said as soon as a space frees up at UWI, my brother could get that space," Romario's sister, Nyoka, told THE STAR on Monday.

Romario was hit from his bicycle in Belmont, Mocho, in Clarendon, last Friday. The Mocho police confirmed that a report of the accident involving Romario was made on Friday evening, but could not provide further details.

The accident has left the 26-year-old paralysed from the left shoulder down, and suffering from memory loss due to trauma to the head. He also has a broken leg and an injured spine. Nyoka told THE STAR that the family's pain intensified on Friday when they were told that the May Pen Hospital, where he is currently admitted, does not have the facility to cater to her brother's needs. She said doctors have advised a speedy transfer to an ICU, noting that his health is deteriorating.

"When we went to the hospital he was talking, and was asking what happened and everything. He was talking to us and asking questions up to Saturday evening, when his vitals dropped and he was placed in an induced coma, because doctors say his body is slowly deteriorating," said Nyoka.

According to the sister, alleged eyewitnesses cited speeding as the cause of the accident. "They said when the car hit him, the car flipped over because of the speed it was going. My brother fly over the car and fell into the bushes. He fell on the back of his head, broke his neck and his spine. That road is a very narrow road that has a bump, and when you're going over that bump you can't see who is coming from the opposite direction," said Nyoka.

May Pen Hospital's Acting Chief Executive Officer, Eugena Clarke James, told THE STAR that plans are under way to have the hospital equipped with an ICU.

"As a facility, we are always moving towards growth and development and that is one thing we hope to achieve," she said. Clarke James noted, however, that she could not comment on a definite timeline for the upgrade. "I wouldn't be able to say," she said.