-President and First Lady tour maternity and children’s wards on Christmas Day

ACCOMPANIED by First Lady Sandra Granger; Minister of Health, Dr. George Norton; and Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally, President David Granger, on Christmas Day, toured the maternity and children’s wards of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and committed to ensuring that facilities there are improved.

He said it is part of his job as President to be at the hospital on Christmas morning, not only to bring cheer, but also to have a first-hand look at the challenges patients experience at that institution.

When his tour was concluded, the President told nurses of the institution: “I will be working with the Minister of Health to improve the circumstances under which you work and under which mothers have to give birth. This is where life starts, and if you don’t ensure you have a safe environment — that the mothers are in a comfortable environment and the staff have the resources they need to do their work — we are likely to have problems.”

Describing his visit to the maternity and children’s wards as important, since it allowed him to understand the challenges facing the public health sector, the President promised: “We will do everything possible to ensure that we have better conditions in years to come.”

At time of the President’s visit, seven mothers had already given birth, and there were 39 babies and 43 mothers in the post-natal section of the maternity ward.
Staff nurse and midwife Michelle Holder said that, for eight consecutive years, she has worked on Christmas Day. She noted that it is a sacrifice made by nurses for the wellbeing of their patients.

Nurse Holder noted that many of the patients, new mothers, are usually so excited that they have no issue spending Christmas Day at the hospital. But while there are those who have no issue, there are those who miss home.

“I usually tell my patients that Christmas comes once a year. As long as you are alive, if you miss something today, you can have it next year,” she told the Ministry of the Presidency.

Among the excited mothers in the ward was 19-year-old Meena Bisnauth of Triumph, East Coast Demerara, who was the first mother to give birth on Christmas Day. Cradling her Christmas miracle, Lisa, who was born about four weeks early, Meena said, “I want Lisa to take her education and be a good person.” This is Meena’s second child.

Twenty-year-old Venetia James, whose second child was also born on Christmas Day, said she named her new daughter Tatianna, after a movie character whom she liked. Her wish is that her daughter would grow up to be a doctor or a lawyer.

For Renita Patterson of Buxton, ECD, her Christmas baby is truly the gift that she had been praying for. With three boys at home, aged ten, eight and three years old, Renita is excited to finally have a daughter, and says this will be her last child.

President Granger himself read to a new mother from the Book of Malachi, chapter nine, in the Bible. Tianie Maria Trim of Coldingen, ECD, named her son, who was born on December 22, Malachi. Looking lovingly at him, Tianie said she wants him to be a doctor, while his father has dreams of him becoming a famous cricketer.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Shawna Bacchus said she wants her Christmas Eve baby, Ishawn Daly, to be a teacher. “I like the profession, but I didn’t have the opportunity to complete it,” she said.

All the new mothers were given hampers, compliments of the Government of Guyana.

Following his visit to the maternity ward, President Granger headed over to the children’s ward. There were 17 children housed in the ward, and the President and the First Lady took the time to visit each child, who was, in many cases, being visited by their parents. The President and First Lady asked about the condition of the children, and provided each with a small Christmas gift.