A PSYCHIATRIC doctor has commenced services at the Linden Hospital Complex though the facility has not yet been furnished like a psychiatric doctor’s office with clinic and ward. The Cuban psychiatrist, Sandra Gilart Aranguren has been a specialist since 2012 but started serving in Guyana in April, 2016. Given the urgent need for a resident doctor in Linden as a result of the increase in mental health cases, Aranguren willingly took a transfer to the mining town to serve the patients who were only receiving monthly attention from a team of visiting doctors.
Now that she is permanently attached to the hospital, clinic has been increased to once a week but the specialist is hoping for a change since for one session she attends to more than 40 patients, some suffering from severe mental health problems. She hopes to hold clinics more than once a week to deal with different age groups on different days.
“For example yesterday at my clinic I had to attend to more than 40 patients, two of them being children ages 4 and 7.
Given this situation, Dr. Aranguren is hoping that the psychiatric ward will soon be established as the hospital is in dire need of same. “That is why I need my own ward and my own staff for these patients because not everyone can deal with these patients.” She also said that there was not an adequate supply of a variety of psychiatric drugs to treat patients. She hopes that this changes soon.
* Public Relations Officer of the Linden Hospital Complex Shanteal Alleyne affirmed that the hospital should see such an establishment before January and Dr. Aranguren should have her own office and clinic days will increase from weekly to three times per week.
When asked why she chose this specialty, Dr. Aranguren revealed that she felt a connection with persons suffering from mental health especially those experiencing discrimination. “Since when Iwas a student, I felt some kind of rare connection with them because these people need someone to care of them. For the most part many persons don’t want to deal with them, even family, so I felt this field was good for me, to help the patients,” she said.
After hearing of the need for psychiatric doctors in Guyana, she selflessly left her home and family to come to Guyana, then later to Linden. She said that she will be in the mining town for as long as she is needed.