THE Midwife attached to the St Denys Medical Outpost, Tapakuma, Venessa Gonsalves is calling for a minibus or boat to be permanently allocated to the health facility.She said that on more than one occasion, the outpost has, in times of emergency, found itself in a transportation crisis.

The village is served by two minibuses, one a private operator and the other a Government school bus; and according to Gonsalves, there have been cases when neither was available to transport emergency cases.

The outpost refers serious medical cases to the Suddie Public Hospital, the main hospital on the Essequibo Coast, which is about 21 miles from Tapakuma. Having to wait on the arrival of transportation — given the distance to travel — can have a very negative impact on the health of patients who need urgent help, the midwife said. The availability of a permanent minibus, she said, would allow the health outpost to transport emergency cases expeditiously to the Suddie Hospital; and in the case of a boat, it would facility transport of patients to Red Lock, and then to Anna Regina.

Red Lock is about seven miles from Tapakuma, and once the patient reaches Anna Regina, it would be a straight drive to Suddie, which is about seven miles away.

Aside from this challenge, the outpost has been experiencing a shortage of some basic drugs. This month it did not receive the full supply it requested from the Suddie Hospital.
Chlorophan, ‘B’ Complex tabs and 500 Amoxil are among the drugs in short supply. These medications are used to treat diabetes, hypertension, cold, pneumonia, cuts and flu, the Guyana Chronicle was told.

Gonsalves has said that due to the extremely hot weather and dust in the atmosphere, residents of the settlement have been affected with minor respiratory problems, and it is important that medications are available for them.

There is no major illness in Tapakuma, and only a handful of diabetes and hypertension cases have been recorded.
Midwife Gonsalves, who is tasked with doing checkups on patients, also holds maternal, ante-natal, infant and pre-school, family planning and chronic disease clinics, as well as home visits.

About two weeks ago, a community health worker who was attached to the outpost left to pursue studies in Linden, and Gonsalves has since been carrying the workload of the centre.
She is calling on the region to send a replacement as early as possible, and for doctors at the Suddie Hospital to visit the outpost at least once per month to attend to patients in the settlement.