Four diagnostic centres functioning to capacity 
– RHS Director
DIRECTOR of Regional Health Services (RHS), Dr. Narine Singh, while admitting that there is room for improvement at the four diagnostic centres, maintained that they are functioning to capacity.
He offered the assessment three years after their construction through an agreement between Guyana and Cuba, during a visit to the latter by President Bharrat Jagdeo. The first to open was at Diamond, East Bank Demerara; followed by Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara; Suddie, Essequibo Coast and Leonora, West Coast Demerara.
Singh, responding to complaints about the services, explained that the clinics face different problems, including infrastructural issues due to faulty work done by building contractors.
“We have dealt with these issues and rehabilitation was done at Suddie and the centres continue to provide significant support to the regional hospitals, as well as Georgetown Public Hospital,” he said.
Singh said, individually, the centres see on average 250 persons daily and there is no major staffing problem as each has a full complement of human resources.
But he agreed that, because of the increasing patient load, there is need for additional resources in some areas.
Singh said medicines supply is another challenge at the facilities but insisted there is not a shortage of drugs, rather a logistical problem exists and efforts are being made to streamline the system.
“The problem we have is getting things in place at the ground level where orders have to be placed in time and things like that,” he explained.
Singh reminded that all health care services are free of cost and patients should not pay any doctor.
He said bribery is continuing and will only be, effectively, stopped if persons accessing services do not subscribe to it.
“We could put measures in place but, if people encourage this practice, it will continue,” Singh observed.
He said moves are being made to enhance the quality of services at all the centres and more are being added as delivery to be improved.            
According to him, this includes the addition of a refraction clinic at Mahaicony, in collaboration with Eye Care Guyana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Singh assured that surgical capacity is also being made better at the centres which are taking a lot of load off the major hospitals.
Meanwhile, Acting Administrator at Leonora, Dr. Angela Binda said it can be better there but the best is being delivered with the resources available.

Language barrier
“We have some problems with staff. We need more nursing staff and Guyanese doctors. There are Cuban doctors here but there is the language barrier and the increasing patient load,” she said.
Binda revealed that the out-patient section sees between 150 and 200 patients daily and, on clinic days, the number attended ranges from 300 and 350.
She said the latter group comprises persons attending clinics for hypertension, diabetes, screening for cervical cancer, dental care, emergency medicine, laboratory and x-rays, as well as observation for short term admissions.
Medical Superintendent at Suddie, Dr. Renuka Persaud, disclosed that the out-patient attendance is between 100 and 120 and 35 more on clinic days.
She said they also serve patients in Region One (Barima/Waini) and have a full staff complement.
Persaud said there are nine junior Guyanese doctors but the majority of the staffers are Cubans and, despite challenges, they make a significant contribution and improve access to health care significantly.
She, too, said: “We take off a lot of the load from Georgetown Public Hospital and help people who might have had to go there.”
Persaud said teams from Suddie also undertake outreaches along Pomeroon River and take additional services that include dentistry.
She said, because rehabilitation works are ongoing, Suddie it not performing at maximum capacity but that situation will change soon.
The Guyana Chronicle failed in several attempts to contact officials at Diamond and Mahaicony.