THINGS are certainly looking up at the Ministry of Health with the arrival of a 21-member US team of medical specialists from George Washington University Hospital for an outreach that will include complex surgeries and training.

The team, which arrived here on last Saturday, includes urologists, anaesthesiologists, general surgeons and nurses, and will be here for seven days.
According to sources at the Health Ministry, the US team has brought its own medical supplies and surgical items. It is understood that at least twenty surgeries of the most complicated cases in urology, and some forty general surgeries, have already been scheduled.

Guyanese urologist onboard
Included in the team is Guyana-born urologist, Dr. Joseph Benjamin, who left here as a child, and has now returned.
While here, the team will execute complex surgeries in its respective specialisations at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH).
The Health Ministry said the team would conduct several certified medical and nursing lectures accredited by the Guyana Medical Council.
Reports indicate that the team is financing its airfare, while the Ministry of Health is providing all in-country funding for housing, ground transportation and meals.
The medical team is also accompanied by a video production crew consisting of two photographers and a producer, which has been working on productions about the Guyana health sector prior to and during the surgical team’s visit.
The team’s visit is said to be a springboard initiative resulting from an invitation issued by Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran while participating in the 28th Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) Regional Sanitary Conference.
In January, the team had visited for the purpose of conducting a preliminary assessment of Guyana’s health facilities, in preparation for this visit.