GOVERNMENT will next year open a trauma centre at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence told the National Assembly on Thursday.

She was at the time making her contribution to the 2019 budget debates. Lawrence noted that the facility will see an increase in the number of in-patient ward space, with the number of beds increasing from 483 to 1000, more outpatient clinic space and an increase in the number of theatres from 5 to 12, including two separate theatres for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
She said government is working to secure funding for the project. “In order to eliminate the inadequacies of the 18-bed Emergency Unit that exists at the Georgetown Hospital, the construction of a state-of-the-art Trauma Centre will be built in an effort to control patient flows, and to accommodate more patients seeking medical attention,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, Lawrence said too that in 2018, the National Transfusion Service of the Ministry of Public Health acquired an Apheresis machine, a device which receives blood removed from a patient or donor’s body and separates it into its various components. Today, patients who suffer from leukemia are benefitting significantly from the machine. This is one of several key successes of the ministry which were highlighted by the minister during her presentation on the 2019 budget debates in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon. She explained to parliamentarians that originally, it was necessary to have 264 donors to provide 44 oxygenated platelets. However, with the acquisition of the Apheresis machine, only 22 donors are needed to provide the same output. “The platelets generated from the Apheresis machine are of a higher quality and quantity,” Lawrence said. She said that the transfusion service collected 4881 units of blood to date and she noted that it is estimated that over 5000 units will be collected by the end of this year.

More trained nurses
As the minister highlighted the successes by the ministry this year, she said a total of 448 qualified nurses entered the health system. Of this figure, 251 nurses were trained at the Georgetown School of Nursing , 90 at the Charles Roza School of Nursing in Linden, and 107 came out successful at the New Amsterdam School of Nursing.

Lawrence noted too that this year, for the first time, the Governments of Guyana and Brazil have jointly sponsored a Master’s and Doctoral programme in Nursing. She said that eight students are benefitting from the Master’s while five are pursuing the Doctorate in Nursing. “This will further enhance our Human Resource Capacity, and provide the platform for the building of sustainable healthy communities,” the minister said.

On Thursday, Minister Lawrence updated parliamentarians on the boosting of the human capacity of the country’s health sector. During her presentation, the minister also spoke of the performance of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPC) and among the feats she highlighted of that medical institution is the provision of post graduate training to health care professionals.

She said that thirty-nine graduates benefitted from specialised programmes which include Master’s in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine, Emergency Nurse Residency Programme, Family Medicine, Paediatric Medicine, Psychiatry and Surgery. “It is important to note that the post graduate training of doctors in Family Medicine has boosted our Primary Health Care system, allowing for earlier diagnosis, better treatment of pregnant women, especially high-risk mothers,” she pointed out.

Where is the evidence?
Minister Lawrence also utlised a few minutes of her time to respond to claims from Opposition MP, Dr Frank Anthony, whom she noted told parliamentarians of the rental of storage space in Princes Street and hotel rooms by the MoPH for the storage of drugs.” I call on the honourable member to lay in this House the evidence,” Lawrence said.

The Public Health Minister also responded to claims that there were variations of works under the ministry which were carried out without approval. “I wish to inform this House that this matter was not swept under the carpet as was the custom of the previous administration; I have letters here attesting to the staff being written to and the Financial Secretary and Auditor General being copied for action,” she said. She also noted that Anthony can peruse the requisite documents at his leisure. On Thursday, Opposition MP, Dr Vindiya Persaud, who spoke after Minister Lawrence, said that she worked in the public sector for many years and that she was happy that there is an increase in public services being offered in the health system. As regards the GPHC, she said she also worked in the trauma section for many years and according to her, she was also happy that the institution was being discussed during the budget debates.