IN 2024, Gift of Life International (GOLI) conducted three surgical programmes at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

As a result, a total of 23 children were able to have a “new lease on life” through the successful completion of open-heart surgeries and interventions.

It was stated by the GPHC that globally, 90 per cent of children with heart defects do not have access to the surgeries they need.

The hospital posted a short documentary on its Facebook page to capture heartfelt reflections from parents, the dedicated GOLI team and its very own GPHC representatives.

In the documentary, Dr Rodrigo Soto, a Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon with GOLI, explained that from March 2023 to August 2024, in only four visits, they have seen significant progress in the way the local team at the GPHC is performing, especially in the Intensive Care Unit.

Dr Rodrigo stated, “We have a first phase in which we were here in Guyana from 2015 till 2018. During those three years, we provided assistance to over 150 children between surgeries and interventional catheterisation.”

Further, he said, “So when we come, many of those patients are re-echoed and we revisit every single case and so on. And then we make the decision which patient will be having surgery. Since there is an important backlog of patients, we have a lot of sick kids that are awaiting surgery and that’s our priority. So, the priority is to address the most urgent, the most sick kids that need surgery more urgently.”

GOLI’s Paediatric Cardiac Intensivist, Dr. Travis Vesel was also featured. He explained that every case involves a major change in a child’s life. He said, “They’re getting heart surgery where they’re having their chest open. You know, the surgeons are working in their heart and taking a child who will have a shortened life because of the heart defect they were born with.”

Dr. Vesel said that thanks to this initiative all the children will have normal lives.

The goal of GOLI is to not only perform surgeries, but to build sustainable programmes. GOLI’s Nursing Supervisor Kari Guffey underscored this.
She said that more than anything, it was more than simply going to countries to do things. It was about going to countries to build sustainable programmes that they could continue to grow and develop over the years.

Dr. Guffey believes the collaboration with GOLI has influenced the care at the GPHC, not only improving critical care, but also raising the standards at the hospital.

“Now for the missions, what I get to do, which is such pleasure to me, is to work alongside the nurses and teach the nurses. So, every month or two we have Zoom education sessions where we go over certain critical aspects regarding taking care of not only children that [sic] have had heart surgery, also critically ill children,” the Nursing Supervisor said on the documentary, adding that through this, they are able to talk about diabetes in children, head injuries and ventilation.

The goal, she said, has all been developed in order to meet the ultimate goal, of having an intensive care unit in the capital city.

She affirmed, “We want the children to be able to have their own space, a paediatric ICU where they can run that 24-7 when we’re not here. And then, of course, we’ll come in and do the heart surgeries while we’re here.”

Additionally, Paediatric Ward Manager at the GPHC, Nurse Simone Tieschamker, stated that working with GOLI has been a great learning experience for the local nurses.

“In terms of the nurses, it somehow boosts their confidence, wanting to be more a part of this and also elevating themselves in their nursing career. So, it has been a good journey and a great learning experience,” Nurse Tieschamker said.

She pointed out that one of the main things learned is how to calculate medications. The nurse said that with the mission, the nurses have to do these calculations themselves.

“The doctors just say what they want, and we got to know what we have to do. Of course, they would have had educational sessions with us before so that we can be able to do that. And I must say that we’ve been getting better with that,” The nurse expressed.

The first mission for 2025 was set to begin on March 5, 2024, where another set of paediatric patients will benefit from the complex open-heart surgeries performed by the visiting GOLI team.