…another step towards bridging the gap between coastland, hinterland healthcare services

THE government’s commitment to bridging the gap between coastal and hinterland healthcare continues to materialize with the latest initiative being the Yvonne Jacobus Maternity Waiting Home in Annai.

The facility was officially commissioned and will strategically serve expectant mothers in the North Rupununi district.

At the official commissioning ceremony, Minister of Public Health the Hon Volda Lawrence and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs the Hon Sydney Allicock, both noted that this maternity waiting home showcases government’s unwavering determination to cater to the needs of the country’s Indigenous women.

Minister Lawrence said after taking into consideration the high rates of maternal deaths in past years, the Public Health Ministry conducted an assessment to determine where the deaths were located and what were the major causes, to address the issue realistically.

“No woman should lose her life [while] giving birth… We recognise also that coupled with all of those medical things that have been happening (high blood pressure and haemorrhaging) is that of access to health services,” Minister Lawrence said.

Costing approximately $17 Million for infrastructure and furnishing, the waiting home stands near the Annai Health Centre. The facility can house seven mothers at a time and is expected to bridge the gap for expectant mothers in accessing maternity services, especially as they near their due date for delivery.

The home is named after a resident of Aranaputa, Yvonne Janet Jacobus. Jacobus was a midwife who served the people of the North Rupununi for over 50 years; it will serve to continue her work in the area of nursing and midwifery and is a testament to the vision being fulfilled of ensuring that Indigenous women have a fair chance at pre and post-natal care and safe deliveries. Jacobus retired in 2007, but still served as a midwife in the district up until she became ill and died earlier this year. Both Minister Lawrence and Allicock commended the work of Nurse Jacobus and stated that the naming of the home in her honour is most fitting, as it embraces the legacy she has left behind.

The waiting home has individual rooms, a kitchenette, washroom and bathroom facilities, a sitting area and an examination room; the doctor stationed at the Annai Health Centre will utilise the examination room to conduct regular check-ups for mothers staying at the home. Among other amenities included to make the facility more homely are hammocks for the mothers to relax in the porch area provided. (DPI)