–so as to help get the job done in spite of shortage of staff, PPEs

EVEN with limited resources, the Mayor and City Councils (M&CC)’s Public Health Department is getting the job done, as far as manning the health centres that fall under its ambit is concerned.

In fact, a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is forcing health workers to be innovative, head of City Council’s public health department Dr. Suzette Reynolds told the Guyana Chronicle on Friday.

Innovative, according to her, in the sense that the health workers are able to care for all those in need of help, even with very limited PPEs. The City Council manages the Dorothy Bailey Health Centre, along with those at Albouystown and Festival City.
Health workers attached to these facilities are following guidelines from the Ministry of Public Service, one of which is alternating work days. However, Reynolds acknowledged that the current shortage of staff puts a strain on this system.

She explained that the Centres are now seeing a significant decrease in patients, because persons are being encouraged to show up only for serious issues. “As personal protective equipment runs out, it puts workers in a fearful situation,” Dr. Reynolds said. “We are, nevertheless, getting the job done; we now have to come up with ways to tackle the situation,” she added. PPEs include disposable gowns, masks, gloves, caps, and shoe covers.

One of the innovative systems that has been put in place, resulting in having to use less PPEs, is setting up shop under tents outside of each facility, which allows health workers to assess each person turning up for help to determine if they can be dealt with right there and sent away.

Sinks and other hand-washing facilities are also set up outside each Centre in keeping with COVID-19 management requirements.

For all their resourcefulness, Dr. Reynolds believes that health workers are being taken too much for granted; that enough is not being done for them, as she feels that they should be given some sort of incentive for the vital role they are playing at the moment. “We have to applaud our health workers who are sticking it out, and continuing to show up for work,” she said. “They don’t get what they deserve, and I feel more should be done for them, or given to them.”

She also noted that the cleaners ought to be commended, too, for the important role they are playing in the daily running of the Council’s Public Health Department.
Dr. Reynolds said that coping with COVID-19 has been especially difficult for her, as each day she follows a strict routine when she gets home from work; a routine that involves getting her clothes in the wash, and taking a bath before interacting with her family.

“I also have to avoid taking any form of public transportation,” she said, “because I am not sure how those individuals are cleaning their vehicles. The numbers are rising; the population is careless, and so you can be infected by accident.”
With regard to food and hygiene, Dr. Reynolds noted that the Department does not have adequate equipment needed to go out on the ground and ensure that persons and businesses are complying with the guidelines.

At present, the Department is issuing food handling certificates on appointment, although the demand for such documentation has been on the decline.

Dr. Reynolds said that plans are in the pipeline to sanitise the city with the assistance of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).