CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of the Regional Health Authority (RHA) in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), Dr Vishwa Mahadeo said, last Wednesday, that health is a fundamental social right and a priority pillar on which a nation’s capacity is built.
In an interview at his New Amsterdam office, he said a healthy nation is a wealthy nation as its people can contribute to the development of society.
“Health care is free in Guyana, so a healthy population means less cost to the sector, less impacts on the budget and more healthy people,” Mahadeo noted.
He said the focus of the Administration in its primary health care programme is preventative rather than curative measures.
“We are not giving up on the curative programmes in our delivery of health care but we are looking more at preventative mechanisms,” Mahadeo offered.
He said, in so doing, some of the steps taken by the New Amsterdam Hospital Administration include education and awareness targeting the general public, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and schools.
Mahadeo said that is part of a different approach that the RHA is taking to set the bar high in terms of quality health care delivery.
“We function differently. The RHA has a five-year plan which stems directly from the National Health Plan and was modified to fit the demographics in our region,” he explained.
Mahadeo said the five-year strategy, for up to 2010, has contributed to a progressive period in the region.
According to him, the RHA’s does not operate outside of the National Health Plan but rather it was used to fit into the local situation or adjusted to address Berbice problems.
Mahadeo said the RHA acts as an overseer for delivery systems with the aim of strengthening them.
Presently the New Amsterdam Hospital is being manned by 14 Guyanese doctors, assisted by nine Cuban doctors from the Cuban Medical Brigade and other support staff.
He said, for the public health care systems to be strengthened, their development must be built on the basis that the health of a population is not only based on the strength of its health care professionals and diagnostic capabilities but is also shaped by existing outside factors.
For better organisation, the RHA overseas the operations of New Amsterdam Hospital, the 25 health centres in Region Six and other smaller hospitals across the region, including at Skeldon and Port Mourant, Mahadeo said.

Priorities
He said, with the RHA, priorities come into focus and new areas, such as training to ensure the availability of a comprehensive range of services to the people of Region Six, are looked at more closely.
Mahadeo said aggressive policies are employed to target communities and improve capacity through training, among other initiatives.
He said, with community training, one out of every 250 individuals are trained in basics.
“They are trained to do basic things and they are issued with a blood pressure monitor, a meter used by diabetics and are given instructions in counselling,” Mahadeo informed.
He said community assistants are trained, primarily to assist in the identification of chronic cases, drug related and social issues and, after a six months period, they are evaluated.
“This is a good strategy as they become community health advocates who encourage healthy lifestyles,” Mahadeo noted.
He said it is imperative for health workers to go to the people instead of waiting for them to come to the providers.
“Going to the people is essential and, because of this, we insist that community health workers spend 70 per cent of their time in the field rather than in their offices,” Mahadeo said.
Chairman of the RHA Board, Mr. David Armogan, added that efforts to improve it in the region are important because health is the building block of any nation.
“A healthy population is a fundamental element to promote a good and productive society and Guyana is no exception,” he declared.
He said, while the right to quality health care is enshrined in the Constitution and rightly so, as it facilitates growth and development of the country, there are a number of challenges that present themselves as hindrances to the delivery in the Region.
However, the obstacles, primary of which are staffing, utilities such as water and electricity and the perception people have that label free services as inferior, are being tackled.
Armogan said, as it relates to staffing, representation has been made to the Ministry of Health for replacements when the Cubans go on leave.
But the other difficulties are being dealt with in collaboration with other agencies, which is important, particularly with the public to overcome the perception that free means bad.
“We offer a service that is comparable to what is provided by private institutions and the quality of service is good so we have to involve the public to promote and awareness of this fact,” Armogan said.
One mechanism being utilised to engage the public is the establishment of a complaints desk, where each report is investigated to get feedback.
He said, so far, they have seen results and made improvements where weaknesses were highlighted.