By Michel Outridge

THE Belle West Health Centre is supervised by Senior Medex Jaikaran Narine and they have one of the largest chronic disease clinics on Mondays.

On Mondays, they have more than 100 patients and this week they recorded 154 such patients, who suffer from ailments such as diabetes and hypertension.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that presently they have a shortage of insulin, but all other drugs are intact and in storage.

Narine stated that they provide a reliable service to members of the public and they have a series of services which can be accessed hassle-free from Mondays to Fridays from 8:00hrs to 16:30hrs.

The Belle West Health Centre provides services in infant admissions, postnatal mothers, family planning, chronic diseases and general out-patient care and treatment.

Narine reported that they also do all dressings on weekdays, but they have a large number of uncontrolled diabetes patients who require insulin of which they are all out.

He disclosed that they also have counselling sessions with patients and the Community Health Worker would do home visits for pregnant women; post-natal mothers are schooled on breastfeeding and shut-ins where they give a general talk for the household on their care and treatment.

“Generally,,, patients are receptive to our counselling because they want to feel better and we try to put them at ease and when we have cases that require specialised treatment, we refer them to the West Demerara Regional Hospital or the Georgetown Public Hospital,” he said.

With COVID-19 the Belle West Health Centre is practising social distancing and they screen patients as they visit before seeing the doctor.

“We had some patients on repeat treatment, but we would see them as they visit because some have complications and we look at that too and we are maintaining our workplace safety health practices to protect ourselves too at the same time,” Narine said.

The Senior Medex revealed that even though they have services at the health centre, some people are peculiar and are afraid to visit to seek care and treatment and would rather go to the pharmacy and buy medications or self-diagnose.

Narine added that when patients miss their clinic visits they would contact them via telephone to enquire why they did not show up and if they need help they would visit.

The Belle West Health Centre has a midwife, a nursing assistant, two community health workers, a clinic attendant, a handyman, a doctor and the visiting Senior Medex.

Narine is the Region Three Senior Medex who resides in Belle West, but is originally from Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara and has been in the profession for the past 34 years.

Retired Medex shares her story
Meanwhile, the Pepperpot Magazine met a retired Medex who shared her memories in the health care profession.

Kawlapattie Jairam is a resident of Belle West Village and started her nursing career at age 20 years.

She recalled as a child she used to do dressings on their dog Tarzan and was always fascinated with nurses, their uniform and how they worked.

One day, it was Career Day and a nurse visited the school and she gave a talk and there was Jairam awestruck and it was then she told herself she will become a nurse and be just like the one who visited her school that day.

At that time she was in Standard Four and after the nurse’s visit, they had to write an essay on what they want to become when they grow up and of course hers was about being a nurse.

Jairam retired at age 55 as a medex but was a nurse and a midwife before she attained the position of medex.

She served Hogg Island, Wakenaam, Windsor Forest Health Centre, La Grange Health Centre, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and the West Demerara Regional Hospital during her tenure in the health care system.

“Most places I worked as a nurse I went back to serve as a medex and that was really fulfilling as a health care worker,” she said.

Jairam also visited many riverine areas as, a nurse and enjoyed her career to the fullest, because she liked people and her joy comes from making people better when they are ill.

“As a health care professional you have to ensure every patient that you see get the treatment to make them get better and I always saw my job as the caretaker of the people’s health, because I know I have to provide a critical service to them,” she said.

As a midwife, she delivered more than 1,000 babies and it was a role she thoroughly enjoyed, talking to young mothers and caring for their newborn.

In 1989 Jairam met a young man who would become her husband. Today, they have two children, one of whom has taken her path in the health care profession and is pursuing gynaecology/obstetrics.

After serving for 42 years, she retired in 2019 and discovered the ‘Do It Yourself’ channel on YouTube and began occupying her time making things for the home.

Jairam, 63, is originally from Crane Village, West Coast Demerara and noted that she had a good experience in all the places she worked over the years, with no regrets.