The U.S. Embassy last week donated medical equipment to the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation as they seek to propel medical care enhancement throughout the country.

U.S. Ambassador D. Brent Hardt said that the partnership has had an impact on the health sector, “…it has enhanced the country’s laboratory capacity,” he stated, adding that it also boosted the sector’s aptitude to store and transport medicines.
“I am delighted to join forces with you again today to deepen our multifaceted public health partnership,” he told Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran.
The U.S. ambassador also expressed the hope that the donation will assist the ministry to provide quality health care to Guyanese not only on a daily basis “but in the event of natural disasters with attendant medical emergencies.”
He added that the equipment will support the ministry’s goal of providing a high standard of medical care for patients by supplying health care professionals with quality equipment.
Minster Ramsaran said that the ministry was extremely grateful to the U.S. Embassy for donating essential medical equipment to the city hospital and the health ministry. “We recognize the contribution from the HAP team….and thank them for it because we needed these equipments,” he said, adding that the ministry is placed under pressure when they are bulldozed for not having equipment.
“Sometimes we take these things for granted but when they are not there, then we feel the difficulties,” Dr. Ramsaran said.
Hardt said that the donation was made possible through the Department of Defense and the U.S. Humanitarian Affairs Program team [HAP]. The team, over the last two years, has been actively providing medical, social and economical assistance throughout Guyana.
“Our Humanitarian Assistance Program works with partners in communities throughout Guyana to bring together multiple local and international civic organisations in a quest to achieve shared social goals.”
The U.S. ambassador said further that the HAP team has worked zealously throughout the country in outreaches and has also supplied the ministry with medicines, water tablets and bleaches in an attempt to eliminate the gastroenteritis outbreak in Port Kaituma.
“This is just one more example of the excellent work HAP has done to support the provision of public health services.  In other areas, our HAP team has also donated computers, school supplies, and reading materials to schools, community centres and civic groups around Guyana,” he noted.  These initiatives help to strengthen the US Embassy’s ambition to enhance the educational opportunities for young Guyanese.
“I would be remiss if I did not commend our hard-working, dedicated and creative HAP team under the leadership of Melanie Collins, who made this donation possible…many will benefit from your commitment to building humanitarian partnerships with the Government and the people of Guyana. Thank you.”
Minster Ramsaran said if the amount of expired drugs is reduced then the ministry would save more money to provide better services to more people. “In any system there is going to be a problem with expired drugs but there are different calculations as to how much that should be. How much should be accepted,” he stated, adding that the Government of Guyana and the ministry has a zero acceptance level for drugs being wasted or expired.

Computerized System
He added that the ministry has developed a computerized system to tackle this plague.  “Management is also a continuous challenge but we are devising systems. The ministry’s management team has dedicated themselves to using the systems that are in place, it’s very computerize. The entire inventory is…so that we can reduce wastage.
“We are open to say that we recognize that we still have to do some work and from time to time there would be reports of drugs expiring. But this facility is aimed at minimizing that. The team is doing their best to ensure that we have less wastage.”
He further stated that they were unable to calculate the amount of drugs that are being wasted. “But we have established a computerized system to track it, hoping that it will be a turn around,” he stated,  adding that the ministry has obtained a refrigerated truck to transport medications, which are in need of cold storage, to different areas.
He said that the truck was an important addition to the health sector since before medications were transported in ice boxes by aircraft. However, he said that method was not eliminated from the system. “The medical supplies are transported under good conditions but there is no need for another one because some supplies can be sent out in coolers by aircraft in a controlled fashion.”
According to Ramsaran,  the Material Management Unit, which is possibly the largest of its kind in the Caribbean,  has been doing a remarkable job in storing medications; thereby  reducing the amount of medicines being wasted.

Preventable Childhood Diseases
He further added that Guyana was on the verge of eliminating preventable childhood diseases. He stated that there were countries, which are more powerful than Guyana, which have not reached fifty percent coverage for vaccination. “They are more powerful than us, richer than us but our public health network has been able to bring us up to ninety-five percent and the coverage that we do not have is mainly in those hard to reach areas.”
The increase of women inhabiting the mining areas has presented another challenge to the Ministry of Health, he said, noting that the conditions in which these women are forced to deliver their babies are hostile.
The medical equipment handed over to the Ministry of Health is valued over US$112,000. It included intra-venous (IV) stands, surgical instruments stands, surgical instruments and other items to benefit emergency rooms, admission rooms and operating theaters.