— from Guyanese coming for Golden Jubilee celebrations

By Alva Solomon
FOLLOWING the opening of its dialysis clinic to the public last month, St Joseph’s Mercy Hospital (SJMH) has been receiving bookings from a number of patients, including overseas-based Guyanese who plan to return home for next month’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations.The hospital unveiled the service on March 14 this year, and according to interim Chief Executive Officer of the private medical institution, Helen Browman, on March 16, the service was realised through assistance provided by the Doobay Medical Centre on the East Coast of Demerara, which provided the two dialysis machines to the hospital’s clinic.

Speaking to this publication at the hospital in Parade Street, Kingston, Georgetown, Browman said the service is part of the hospital’s mission to serve the Guyanese public by providing medical care to everyone who visits the hospital.

As regards dialysis treatment, she said, “We know that it is a big deal in Guyana, that’s why we decided to open the lab, so there is a need.”

She said the hospital had previously received calls about dialysis treatment, but at the time it was only able to offer advisory services. She added that the hospital is expected to receive two additional machines this month.

Speaking on the treatment, Mashaun Tyrell, the hospital’s Nursing Supervisor/Dialysis Nurse, noted that the process centres around the removal of waste from the body when the kidneys are damaged, dysfunctional, or missing.

It is used especially if the patient suffers from chronic diseases, such as hypertension or diabetes. When the individual reaches a stage where he/she loses proper functioning of the body, the patient is referred to the medical institution for dialysis treatment.

Tyrell said that at the SJMH, the patient is evaluated by Dr Mercedes Lopez, who ensures that the patient is fit and able to undergo dialysis treatment.

“Yes, he/she may need dialysis treatment, and he/she may not have proper lab work; so we will have to build proper lab work,” he said. The medical personnel will then insert a catheter, a medical device that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure, and the dialysis treatment begins for a six-hour period.

“At a slow pace it is done, and we repeat the process,” Tyrell added.

He described dialysis treatment as the second-to-last resort in regard to treatment for the ailment the person/s may be suffering from.

“The last is kidney transplant, so we try everything in our knowledge; and…we come up with the process of dialysis,” he added. He said the process involves ensuring that the patient has all the necessary medication to bring back the kidney’s function to a normal level, or close to it.

“Most persons — the patient that is — their lives revolve around dialysis,” Tyrell noted. He said the patient may rely on the machine to sustain them. “If a patient misses a session, the nurse would know, because of their condition physically,” he added.

With the two machines at the SJMH dialysis clinic, only one patient can be processed at a time. This is so because the other machine is kept running as a back-up in the case of any eventuality.

The machines have so far processed two persons suffering from chronic ailments, and according to Browman, many persons have booked with the hospital for treatment next month, when they come to Guyana for the Independence celebrations.

ECONOMICAL SERVICE
According to Tyrell, the SJMH can be described as affordable where dialysis treatment is concerned.

“We are the cheapest hospital that provides dialysis,” he said. Compared to others, with the exception of the Georgetown Public Hospital, where the service is offered free to in-patients, and to outpatients by appointment.

At the SJMH, the service is provided at a cost $14,500 per session. The hospital has treated a wide cross-section of persons for other ailments, some of whom have requested dialysis treatment in the past. It was noted that, of those persons, mainly persons 30 years and older have requested the treatment.

Browman noted that unofficial figures indicate there are some 7,000 persons in Guyana who need dialysis treatment. She said that in addition to the treatment, the patient can take care of their health through diet and exercise.

“If you have a chronic disease, you are headed towards dialysis,” she said, adding that while persons locally may adopt a laid back attitude towards their health, this factor can lead to worsening illness.

“If you are on dialysis, there is no turning back. That’s it for the rest of your life”, she said.

ELDERLY CARE
The hospital is planning a series of initiatives as it expands it services. These include improved elderly care, which will see the facility opening a 32-bed unit for senior citizens. Browman noted that there are currently 14 elderly persons at the hospital, and they will be relocated to the new facility when it is completed.

The hospital is also working to introduce a maternity package for pregnant mothers.
And this weekend, the hospital will host a Men’s Health Fair, aimed at sensitizing the menfolk of health-related issues and their treatment. The men will benefit from tests, including free blood pressure, blood sugar screening, and diet counselling, among others.

In February, the hospital hosted a Women’s Health Fair, and the institution plans to host other health fairs later this year.
Persons who may wish additional information on the dialysis clinic of the SJMH can contact the medical facility on telephone: 592-223-5447/592-663-9950 or via email at sjmhdialysis@gmail.com.