If projections go as planned the Central Islamic Organ-isation of Guyana’s (CIOG) dialysis centre will be up and running by mid-year and the cost of treatment would be as low as US$75 per session.
Twelve dialysis machines are already in the country and the land has been secured for sometime now. CIOG will soon commence building but is awaiting donations. Presi-dent of the CIOG, Fazeel Ferouz told Stabroek News last week that they are heavily dependent on funding since the whole aim of the project is to subsidize costs through donations from the local and overseas donor communities.
Ferouz said the building and set-up cost is currently at US$1.5M which is above initial projections. He said they are working on how to bring down that cost and are counting on donations to do so. The cost went up after CIOG decided to include in the work plan a diagnostic centre and a 25-bed maternity ward. Of the three, the dialysis centre is priority given that there is a severe need in the country, Ferouz pointed out.
Proposals for the medical facility which will be located on Thomas Street have gone out to donors and good responses are expected. In the meantime, CIOG is moving ahead with discussions on operating and managing the centre when it is opened and has consulted with Dinesh Uniyal from Canada. The consultant arrived in Guyana on Saturday for two days of discussion with the organization.
“We thought it necessary to sit down and talk with someone who has experience in this area and who will guide us in the right direction. The meeting with Mr. Uniyal is expected to be fruitful and in the future we will continue to engage people of expertise in this area”, Ferouz said.
Physical infrastructure for the centre and the water supply among other the things are to be discussed. In addition to the technical details the issue of National Insurance is on the agenda since medical coverage is an important part of dialysis treatment. The issue of staffing the centre is also being discussed by the CIOG.
Medical personnel from India where the organization has established links would initially run the centre when it is opened. The team will train local staff to take over.
Ferouz said discussions with President Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy on the dialysis centre have been productive since government has committed to helping in this specific area. He said they will continue to engage the administration in the coming months. He noted that Dr. M.Y. Bacchus is heading CIOG’s medical committee in charge of the project.
Further, he pointed out that CIOG is becoming more cognizant of the fact that when it is operational the centre will consume much of their time given the public need for it.
He said this requires them to plan carefully and execute as planned. He re-emphaised that donations will have to keep coming in order for persons to access treatment at an affordable cost, given that the venture is not a profit making one.
The dialysis machines were donated to CIOG by the Oakville Hospital in Canada. Ferouz pointed out that the hospital agreed to donate the dialysis machines after being approached by Dr. Mursalene Gafoor who resides there. (Iana Seales)
