THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) earlier this week announced that it has acquired the CUSA Clarity by Integra, a useful and modern piece of equipment that is used in brain surgery.

Equally impressive is that the GPHC is the first institution in the Caribbean to utilise this state-of-the-art surgical technology.

The acquisition of this equipment is a big part of the hospital’s ‘Operation Brain Tumour’, an ambitious ground-breaking initiative which aims to reduce the national backlog of patients diagnosed with brain tumour by year-end.

Although the Neurosurgery Department has already completed 143 procedures as of October 31, 2024, many more persons are still awaiting relief necessitating action by the Ministry of Health. A total of 175 brain surgeries were performed in 2023.

The CUSA Clarity is a revolutionary tool in neurosurgery, which is designed to improve the precision and efficiency of tumour removal.

Tumour removals could take an average of 8-10 hours, but with the use of the CUSA Clarity by Integra, that time will be cut in half, allowing doctors to perform procedures with enhanced safety and efficacy. More persons also stand to benefit.

To tackle the backlog, from next week, surgeries will be performed every Friday until the close of the year. Further, daily surgeries will be performed from December 2 to December 9, significantly boosting the hospital’s surgical capacity.

It is a well-known fact that in many instances, patients opt for private medical attention. Among the reasons for this decision is timely care, and the fact that those institutions have the resources to perform difficult surgeries.

However, many suffer in silence, as they are unable to afford surgical procedures at private hospitals.

The GPHC’s acquisition of the CUSA Clarity by Integra solves both of these issues: The wait time will more than likely be reduced, once the backlog is cleared, and less persons will have to deal with the high cost of doing such a surgical procedure privately or abroad.

Since taking office, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government has done a lot to ensure public hospitals are outfitted with modern pieces of equipment to handle delicate procedures. The aim is to provide a world-class healthcare delivery system second to none in the Caribbean. Such a system includes the construction of modern hospitals and the acquisition of equipment.

The PPP/C administration must be given credit for raising the standard of healthcare, and ensuring that Guyanese have access to the equipment and health services that they need to make them feel better.