–Linden Hospital now has its own spirometry ‘lab’

GIVEN the high rate of respiratory diseases plaguing the mining town of Linden, the Linden Hospital Complex can now accurately test and diagnose these ills.
This is thanks to the newly established spirometry unit replete with Canadian sourced spirometer.
According to the institution’s Medical Superintendent, Dr. Steve Mark, the installation of this unit is very timely, given that Linden, because it is a bauxite mining community, is redolent with dust and smoke, which does not augur well for its residents.

He said that because the number of respiratory cases being treated at the hospital are overwhelmingly high, the hospital can now accurately diagnose and treat these problems.
“It is not only to test asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and bronchitis and so forth; the lab will attempt to give holistic care as needed,” Dr Mark said, adding:
“When you come, you will have your diagnostic testing, as you can accurately diagnose how the lung is functioning.
“Some respiratory conditions mimic each other, and with the equipment, we can accurately diagnose you; and if you are accurately diagnosed, then you can be accurately treated.”
Dr. Robert Levy, a Canadian Lung Specialist who has been in Guyana with his team for some time now, was responsible for the sourcing and installation of the spirometer, as well as training persons to man the operation in Linden.

A FIRST
The Linden Hospital Complex is reportedly the first regional hospital here to be equipped with such a unit, but the second in the country to have one.
Dr. Mark posited that now that the hospital has such a unit in place, there will be less emergency visits, less absenteeism from school and work, and more persons being fully educated about their ailment.
Dr. Levy is in total agreement, saying that from a holistic perspective, health care will be much more improved in Linden.
“Our objective here is to improve health care, to decrease health care cost, increase the experience for patients, as well as health care givers,” he said.
Many of the diagnoses that were made before the unit was established, he said, were based on assertions, as there was no equipment to actually do the testing. And so, many persons were wrongfully diagnosed and wrongfully treated.
“We had one patient who was an older patient who came in with a diagnosis of COPD, when in fact he had a completely normal lung function,” Dr Levy said.
Noting that tens of thousands of Guyanese are being diagnosed with asthma or COPD, and are using medications that they should not be using, Dr Levy said that with the installation of this unit in more health care facilities countrywide, the Ministry of Health will, among other things, be able to decrease the cost of medication.

TELE-MEDICATION
Though Dr Levy and his team will be returning to Canada shortly, Dr. Mark revealed that through tele-medicating, their input and assistance will still be used by the doctors and nurses that are is being trained to operate the machine in Linden.
Since the machine has been installed, some seven to eight patients have already been diagnosed and treated.
The Unit will be opened to the public Monday to Fridays, but will not substitute for emergency care in the event of an emergency.