THE Sixth Guyana Medical Scientific Conference convened at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara last Sunday brought together more than 200 medical doctors, professors and medical students with the specific objective of advancing the research ethic and agenda of the local health science community.

Under the theme: “Inter-Professional Health Service Education and Practice”, the conference indeed created a watershed moment when the large gathering of doctors and medical students converged at the Conference Centre for the caucus, a key part of which was the presentation of research papers and feature lectures.
Eighteen of those gathered were ‘visiting faculty’, including Guyana’s very own Dr. Narendra Singh and four ‘visiting residents’.
At the forum, the findings of several research papers prepared by medical practitioners, medical students and university faculty members were received by the conference. Feature lectures were also presented by both local doctors and visiting faculty, and a high premium was placed on research for post-graduate studies.

The forum, a joint initiative between the Institute of Health Science Education, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Guyana, was hosted as part of the Silver Jubilee anniversary activities of the University of Guyana (UG), which has been in operation for the past 50 years.
Chairperson for the morning session was Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD, Med, MPPM, FACOG, Professor/Director of Global Health Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Mc Donald Women’s Hospital, Case Medical Center; and the afternoon session was chaired by Dr. Mahendra Carpen, MBBS, DM, Medical Director and Consultant Cardiologist at the Caribbean Heart Institute.
In his opening remarks to the gathering, Director of Health Science Education, Dr. Madan Rambaran, outlined that the conference was introduced to complement the development in health science education, especially the establishment of post-graduate clinical education.

Dr. Rambaran said that in addition to the Diploma in Surgery, Orthopedics and Trauma, Anaesthesia and Critical Care, the Institute also now has Masters programmes in Emergency Medicine, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. To this end, he declared: “I believe that the conference has been meeting its stated objective of advancing the research ethic and agenda of the local science community.”
He said there is emerging a body of research literature that is defining the local health profile and pointing the way for policy and practice adjustments.
And Dr. Narendra Singh, Chief of Paediatrics at Humber Regional Hospital and Mac Master University, commented that the development of post-graduate programmes and the concomitant fostering of research have been growing by leaps and

bounds since their inception. “This unique model of providing specialized training for physicians can be used as a ‘cookie cutter’ approach in other such countries, to make transformational and sustainable changes,” he proposed.
Partnerships
Dr. Singh posited that such progress could not be realized without the development of partnerships with institutions in North America. “The generous donation of time, skills and resources has been a catalyst to the proliferation of these programmes,” he said.
He added it is critical to understand that there is mutual benefit to these partnerships.
He mentioned other measurable benefits to the work that is done in Guyana. “As evidenced by the number of research paper partnerships at this conference, individuals meet much of their research requirements in Guyana,” he concluded.
And in her message, Professor Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew said that the University Hospital’s Case Western Medical Center is proud to be associated with the GPHC and the Institute of Health Science Education.
She said that, through their collaborations, the Masters in Obstetrics and Gynaecology programme has seen tremendous success in both didactic and clinical competences. Further, there is already tangible evidence of improvements in the health of women in Guyana, and the many successes of the other graduate programmes.
“It is through these efforts that I wish to congratulate the Institute of Health Science Education for convening the 6th Guyana Medical Scientific Conference,” Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew remarked.
She said much of the evidence-based research holds the platform at these conferences, and highlights the commitment of ‘our’ medical team in improving health care in Guyana. “This conference continues to be the best and most informative research initiative that contributes a wealth of information, leadership and guidance to our young scientists,” she concluded.
Honours
There were kudos for outstanding performances and Dr Rambaran congratulated the first graduates of the Institute of Health Science Education Masters in Pediatrics: Dr. Clive Bowman and Dr. Seepersaud Chatterdeo; and Masters in Emergency Medicine: Dr. Zulfikar Bux.
And University of Guyana Medical Student Aidan Smith was awarded the Dean Sharma Award for Best Research Paper. The Paper, titled “Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarctions admitted to GPHC over the period January 2011 to June 2012”, examined the mortality and complications that arose during the time.
Also honoured was Dr. Seepersaud Chatterdeo, who received the Chetram Singh Award for best research presentation. The research looked at whether there was need for standardized management of febrile seizures at the GPHC: A Retrospective review.
Areas of Research
Other areas of research included “Poisonous Ingestions in Children at the GPHC: Can we decrease the Incidence and Number of Admissions?”, presented by Dr. Sherelyn Stanton, GPHC; “Multi-drug Resistant Pseudomonas aeuruginosa and Acinetobacter sp. at GPHC”, by Ms. Ede Tyrell of the University of Guyana; “Assessing the Inter-Professional learning needs of the trauma team at GPHC”, by Dr Navindaranauth Rambaran, GPHC.
Among the lecture features were: “The High incidence of Chronic Kidney Disease among Medical Clinic Patients at Linden Hospital,” by Dr. Angelina Dhani of the Linden Hospital Complex; and “The Number of Paediatric Patients with Acute Asthma Exacerbations seen at the Emergency Department, GPHC during April to June 2012 – Is there need for a Protocol?” by Dr. Radha Luknauth.