HUNDREDS of doctors in the local medical field were edified in various areas of health as the Woodlands Hospital hosted a grand Continuing Medical Education (CME) seminar in observance of its 50th anniversary.

Managing Director (MD) of the Woodlands Hospital, Dr Neville Gobin, explained that each year, registered doctors in Guyana must attend 12 CME lectures in order to continue practising medicine in the country.

A CME is a critical feature in the development of medical professionals nationwide, as it assists them in maintaining competence and acquiring knowledge about new and developing areas of their fields.

Woodlands would have CMEs on a monthly basis at the hospital, according to Dr Gobin. This CME however aimed to get as many as 500 local doctors together in one space; a huge ‘step up’ from those usually organised.

In fact, he noted that the much larger CMEs would be organised by the Guyana Medical Council four times each year, but with the hospital observing its 50th anniversary, they opted to sponsor one of those large CMEs.

“It’s our way of giving back to the professions where we have been receiving from through the years,” he highlighted.

The scores of doctors in attendance benefitted from: An overview of Bronchial Asthma from Dr Ghansham Singh; Catheter Ablations for Heart Rhythm Disorders and Device Management of Heart Failure, by Dr Mahendra Carpen; The Approach and Management of a patient with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) by Dr Chris Prashad; and Application of thoracic surgery for general practitioners, by Dr Cheetanand Mahadeo.

Aside from giving back to the medical community, Dr Gobin noted that the hospital is also conscious of its responsibility to the wider society at large.

It is for this reason that the private hospital offers services that have previously been unavailable in Guyana, and offer these at affordable rates.

“When you consider the volume of patients that utilise our services, I would say that people do trust us,” he affirmed. “Woodlands has done a lot in promoting healthcare in this country.”

And in the coming years, the MD noted that the hospital hopes to continue bringing new medical technologies and advancement to Guyana. According to him, the aim is to always provide healthcare services that are “on par” with the “first world.”