COLLABORATING with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) yesterday morning, the Ministry of Health presented seven new ambulances to hospitals in various regions across the country, in a ceremony which also offered opportunity for people to get their blood pressure and glucose levels checked, while being educated by the two doctors and two nurses who were present.

This ambulance initiative seeks to boost health care delivery across Guyana. Acquired from Associated Industries Limited (AINLIM) at a cost of Gy$59.5M (fifty-nine million, five hundred thousand Guyana dollars) Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran said of the ambulances: “Additional monies will be spent on further equipping them, as we do more training to be able to utilise those bits and pieces of equipment.”

Two of the new ambulances have been given to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC); whilst one each went to the following hospitals: Charity Hospital in Region 2; Leonora Cottage Hospital in Region 3; Fort Wellington Hospital in Region 5; Port Mourant Hospital in Region 6; and the Linden Hospital Complex in Region 10. CEO Mr Michael Khan received the ambulances for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, while Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Norman Whittaker, represented the other regional health facilities in receiving the ambulances on their behalf.

Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran declared: “A few weeks ago, we dispatched to Kwakwani an off-road ambulance, which has been a second hand vehicle but which has been re-equipped significantly. So it is ready for the rough terrain in Kwakwani. However, we also have, today, seven other ambulances, which will be the first set of more ambulances to come, which we will be handing over to other areas of service”.

Dr Ramsaran noted that, only a few days prior, the Ministry of Local Government had handed over to Region 2 a new ambulance for the Suddie Hospital, the main hospital in Region 2. “Ambulance services are not only delivered by vehicle. Having adequate vehicles and adequately equipped vehicles are not enough. We need to have brain power. That is why we have started a few years ago with the assistance of Centres of Excellence, an emergency medicine training programme which is one of the post-graduate programmes that the Government of Guyana has introduced.

“So we will be having ambulances with trained personnel. At the same time, we are thinking of having special training for the drivers,” the minister said.

He said records reveal that new ambulances suffer their first accident within three weeks. To combat this, however, the Health Ministry is expecting recruitment of drivers of a certain quality. “We want drivers, we don’t want pilots. We don’t need to fly low with the ambulance. Putting on the siren and the lights does not give the driver the right to endanger the lives of other road users, to endanger the lives of the nurse or doctor on the ambulance accompanying the patient, the patient him or herself and an accompanying relative,” the minister remarked.

Dr. Ramsaran, moreover, admonished recipients to manage, care and cherish the ambulances now in their care as an important part of their maintenance. He also acknowledged the importance of the workforce, and proceeded to expound on the implementation of the National Health Strategy for this period, which was launched on December 30 by His Excellency, the President.
Through this implementation, emphasis will be placed not only on emergency medicine and reacting to disasters and crises, but also on non-communicable diseases (NCD).

The Ministry of Health is currently “putting on the front burner” the fight against maternal deaths. Twenty-five maternal deaths were recorded for 2012, whereas only 18 such deaths were recorded for last year, showing a reduction of seven deaths. In regard to attaining zero maternal deaths, the Health Minister assured that “we are trying to get there.”

The Ministry of Health, in an evidence-based fashion, decided to identify the causes of mortality in the neonatal group; and established, within the past few years, several Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) to reduce the deaths of neonates (babies), which comprise a significant percentage of the sub-population that died.
Dr. Ramsaran mentioned, “We have twelve (12) incubators at the GPHC in a specially managed ward with other support equipment. At the same time, we have trained staff. In Linden, we have three or four units in a similar NICU there, saving the lives of those neonates in Linden”.

Minister Ramsaran also took time to congratulate the leadership of the Linden Hospital Complex, noting that it was the best run hospital in the country.

And he urged the media to be part of the developmental process in helping to address the public on issues concerning premature birth of neonates, and not confuse people in presenting false hope of 100% survival. At a colloquium scheduled for sometime in the future, the private sector and the media will be invited to have a joint discussion addressing various issues concerning the health sector.

(By Ravin Singh)