By Shirley Thomas

A MAJOR advancement in healthcare in Region Three (West Demerara/ Essequibo Islands) was realised yesterday with the commissioning and re-opening of the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the West Demerara Regional Hospital.The NICU is a specialist department in a hospital where specially trained staff members care for newborns who have medical complications or babies who have been born prematurely. The babies, referred to as ‘neo-nats’ are usually kept in the NICU for days, weeks or longer, depending on the degree of prematurity.

Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, said it was a great honour and pleasure for him to reopen the facility. The West Demerara NICU was initially opened earlier last year, but due to a technical snag, it had to be closed until systems to ensure quality assurance and infection control had been put in place.

DECLINE IN NEONATAL DEATHS
Dr. Norton said the close cooperation between the Ministry of Public Health and the ‘Guyana Help the Kids Foundation’, a registered Canadian charity, has led to a significant decline in neonatal deaths at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. In December, 2015, the GPHC recorded a drop in mortality from 35% to 7%.

While congratulating and thanking the medical team and the Canada-based international partner for their sterling contributions, Dr. Norton also came in for high praise for his initiative and his selfless and dedicated efforts to make the facility a reality.

Dr. Norton recalled that ‘Guyana Help the Kids Foundation’ has collaborated with the Ministry of Public Health over the past three years, and is committed to giving continuous and consistent support to reduce the local neonatal mortality rate.

GHKF was instituted at the GPHC and the regional hospitals for the purpose of reducing neonatal mortality in Guyana through the provision of education and technology. These provisions include physician education, nursing education, infection control, and biomedical support through a comprehensive and sustainable programme. The GHKF has already donated equipment costing approximately Cdn$30,000 to support neonatal care in Guyana.

PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN

Dr. Norton said that neonatal mortality in Guyana, although decreasing, continues to be a major public health concern, and is currently a primary focus of the Public Health Ministry.

“The Ministry of Public Health, under the current administration, is committed to ensuring that the health needs of all its citizens are met. Infant mortality rate is one of the indicators for the Sustainable Development Goal, hence the ministry is looking towards enhancing its pre- and post-natal programme and services,” Dr. Norton said.

He posited that the reopening of the NICU at the West Demerara Regional Hospital will see fewer women travelling from Region Three to Georgetown for specialized health care, since it is now accessible in that region.

Doctors and nurses who would have undergone training in the areas of neonatal care and pediatrics and are now fully capable of providing better care to all babies born at the West Demerara Regional Hospital have already been identified to run the Unit. The Unit will be headed by Consultant Dr. Ramiro Mesa, who will oversee a team of three doctors and three specially trained nurses to execute this task.

Meanwhile, Regional Health Officer Dr. Shawn Bancroft has said that the NICU was established with the sole purpose of reducing mortality — a project which was started at the GPHC and extended to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

He expressed gratitude for the necessary training and equipment provided to eliminate maternal deaths and infant mortality, and noted also that the functioning of such a facility is the hospital’s first step in ensuring that it fulfills some of its major commitments -– reducing maternal mortality as well as infant mortality in Guyana.

Dr. Bancroft applauded the dedication of staff in the region, coupled with the readiness and preparedness of the Ministry of Public Health and support from the Regional administration. He noted that it augurs well for the continued success of the initiative.

Others delivering remarks at the reopening ceremony included Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Kay Shaku; Regional Chairman Julius Faerber, and Regional Executive Officer Dennis Jaikarran.