THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) got a good start, earlier this week, towards realising its mandate of forging new alliances and strengthening existing relationships with corporate Guyana, service organisations and the general public in 2013.

It was through the receipt of donations, from three benevolent entities, which would benefit patients of its Maternity Ward and Gynaecology Department.
The institution received:

* forty jumbo gift bags containing basic and essential maternal items for expectant mothers and their babies, from the Rotary Club of Georgetown, in collaboration with COURTS (Guyana) Inc;

*  a large quantity of  ‘Act Now’ healthy start advisory cards for expectant mothers visiting the GPHC Maternity as well as Prenatal clinics at health centres, from Mike’s Pharmacy and three benches to boost the existing seating complement at the GPHC’s Gynaecology Department.

The Rotary Club/COURTS contribution was handed over Tuesday, with the involvement of Rotary President, Mr. Khalil Alli and COURTS Director of Human Resources, Mr. Michael Carter.
Gift bags
The first six gift bags were presented to six expectant mothers in confinement, identified by the staff of the Maternity Unit, while the remainder was handed over to Sister June Cato, Senior Departmental Supervisor.
The Mike’s Pharmacy gift was presented by its pharmacist, Ms. Saeeda Foo and the benches by Medicine Chest a few days previously.
Also present on Tuesday were GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Khan; Matron Corie and public relations consultants Vic Insanally and Mitzi Campbell.
Mr. Insanally welcomed and acknowledged the presence of the stakeholders, including the expectant mothers and considered it a breath of fresh air that the new year started so for the GPHC, especially since the institution is working, feverishly, to get Corporate Guyana, service organisations and the general public interested in taking part in the betterment of the institution.
He noted the marked improvement in the Maternity Ward, both in terms of the environment and care given and said that the administration is trying to bring more people on board.
Remarking that a hospital which provides free service and caters for so many people is going to attract its fair share of negative stories, Insanally emphasised the importance of highlighting the meaningful things that are happening.
Three donors

He offered kudos for the three donors, adding that it is a great achievement to have international organisations like the Rotary and COURTS, as well as private companies such as Mike’s Pharmacy and Medicine Chest come on board.
Insanally mentioned a number of initiatives in the pipeline, aimed at improving the public relations image of the GPHC.
Meanwhile, Alli said it is a pleasure for the Rotary Club of Georgetown, which has been in existence for more than 50 years, to reach out to GPHC as it seeks to respond to the needs of its patients.
He said, through the years, projects undertaken by the club have aimed at providing service, targeting community needs, and the improvement of maternal and child health among the organisation’s six areas of focus.
Alli said that, cognisant of the high proportion of maternity cases handled by the nation’s public health system, and the GPHC in particular, Rotary opted to concentrate its efforts on the needs of the latter institution.
Through the club’s chosen project, expectant mothers in need can now have access to basic maternal and necessary items around the time of delivery.
He conveyed gratitude to COURTS for its noble involvement in the initiative and hoped the gesture would encourage other organisations to similarly support the cause of maternal and child health in the country.
Meanwhile, the donation from Mike’s Pharmacy marked the second in less than three months, both associated with pregnancy care.
The ‘Act Now’ cards highlight the warning signs, indicating that the pregnant mother and/or her baby could be in danger and urges her to, immediately, check with her midwife or doctor if these symptoms/conditions are experienced.
Khan, on behalf of GPHC, thanked the donors for their acts of benevolence and encouraged expectant mothers, assuring them that the hospital is aiming to have a doctor and midwife at each health centre to assist them in managing their pregnancies.