–more revolutionary work underway, Dr. Mahadeo says

FOR 2022 to date, $125.5M was spent on rehabilitating health facilities in Region Nine while three boats, two ambulances, three ATVs and four minivans were purchased to enhance medical care within the region, as healthcare is being taken to all villages.

This was confirmed by the Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo, when contacted by this publication for an update on the development within Region Nine.
He explained that all health facilities in Region Nine were renovated while noting that the Lethem hospital has been expanded with more services that include intensive care; neo-natal intensive care, and surgeries are being done with a full complement of staff.

Further, Dr. Mahadeo said that every village would have had at least three specialist medical outreaches done within the year; the services included: eye care, dental care, screening for cervical cancer, ultrasounds, general examination and vaccination, along with the presence of regular doctors.
Additionally, the Director-General said that all the cataract and pterygium patients that reached the criteria received surgeries at the National Ophthalmology Hospital, and they were safely returned home.

“Major works are ongoing in the Annai Health Facility to upgrade it to the level of a cottage hospital; the theatre at Aishalton will soon be completed and commissioned and surgeries will start. We are having more doctors at these facilities and each facility in Region Nine has a minimum of two community health workers for the first time ever because previously, there were communities that had none,” Dr. Mahadeo explained.

He noted that healthcare delivery in Region nine has been revolutionized within the last two years.
“For the first time ever in Region Nine, training is being done for their own nursing assistants with over 30 young people on the programme, we are also doing training for emergencies, resuscitation and there are quite a few persons on GOAL scholarships, including the hospital administrator on the York Hospital Management training,” Dr Mahadeo underscored.

Further, the director-general said that the delivery of care is being addressed with specialist care in every village where patients are identified for surgical intervention based on their needs to address hernia, uterine fibroids, Tubal ligation, along with various other services.

“Those persons are being identified in each village and they will be brought out if they can’t come out themselves, and we will do the surgeries for them in Lethem and if it can’t be done at Lethem, we will bring them to Georgetown to do the surgeries and take them back in,” Dr. Mahadeo told this publication.

He explained that healthcare is being taken to all villages in Region nine, and residents are not left to find such on their own.
In highlighting President Irfaan Ali’s vision, Dr Mahadeo said, “our hinterland brothers, sisters and children must be able to access the same level of care that persons on the Coast are accessing.”

As such, he noted that all medical services would be equal and equitable to all hinterland communities.
Additionally, the director-general said that the Ministry of Health had visited over 90 per cent of the villages within Region Nine over the last two years while having discussions with village leaders, residents and the health staff.

“The works that were done at the health facilities were works that were recommended by the villagers, by the residents, by the health staff after there would have been meetings between the Ministry of Health, the local health authority and the residence; the works that were done at the facilities were given to local contractors and in some cases even the village council in order for the monies to be used in developing the village economy,” Dr. Mahadeo explained.