THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has undertaken a major overhaul of its maternity services as part of ongoing efforts to reduce maternal deaths, according to Chief Executive Officer Robbie Rambaran.
The CEO noted that women’s and children’s health was identified as a priority area upon his return to the institution, thus prompting a comprehensive review of key services within the hospital.
He explained that three critical areas, emergency care, maternity services, and supplies and logistics were identified as requiring immediate attention due to their impact on patient outcomes.
“Having looked at so many competing priorities, I had to decide where we would make the biggest impact,” he said while adding that maternity was one of those key areas.
As part of the reforms, the hospital has restructured leadership within the maternity department, including changes to the head of department and a full reorganisation of staffing systems.
Rambaran said doctors have now been assigned directly to specific units within the maternity department, including the labour ward, prenatal and postnatal care areas, rather than operating solely on an on-call rotation system.
He said this change has strengthened accountability, and improved patient monitoring.
“We realigned the staff, the shift system and the call system so that there is more direct responsibility for each unit,” he explained.
Against this backdrop, he stated that the hospital has also expanded the maternity ward and upgraded facilities, including improvements to patient comfort and infrastructure such as air conditioning across wards.
Rambaran further added that the GPHC has invested heavily in specialised medical equipment to improve monitoring of mothers and newborns, alongside ongoing staff training programmes.
Further to this, partnerships with international institutions, including Mount Sinai and Northwell Health, have supported efforts to enhance clinical skills and improve outcomes in maternal care.
Meanwhile, addressing the issue of referred patients, he stated that many maternal deaths involve high-risk cases transferred from private institutions.
He said, as a national referral hospital, the GPHC often receives patients in critical condition, which can complicate outcomes despite medical intervention.
As such, the CEO said the reforms are ongoing and part of a sustained effort to reduce preventable maternal deaths while strengthening overall maternal health services across the institution.