The Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH), officially relinquishing the Public Health Strengthening in Guyana Project (PHSGP), handed it over to the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a simple ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at the Canadian High Commission.
And resulting from the PHSGP is an improved national programme for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and TB, an improved capacity for collecting health data and disseminating it to critical points as required.
A full report on all the information gained during the five-year project and laboratory equipment and computers were given to the health ministry which is expected to employ different strategies to continue the work started.
The PHSGP, a bilateral project of the government of Guyana and the Government of Canada and funded by the Canadian International Development Project (CIDP), was designed and implemented by the CSIH, a non-governmental organization based in Ottawa, and the MOH between January 2002 and February 2008.
The project was implemented after CIDA had done a comprehensive review of Guyana’s health sector and identified several related areas where Canadian organizations could contribute and play a significant role.
The management of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and tuberculosis (TB) and the design and maintenance of a health information system were put on the agenda. Upon implementation of the project, national programmes for diagnosis, prevention and control of STDs and HIV/AIDS and TB were set up at strategic locations across the country. An electronic health information system to collect, process and disaggregate health information was also set up.
A home and community-based training programme for care and support of HIV/AIDS and TB clients was also implemented in Linden, Georgetown and New Amsterdam.
Other activities were implemented after consultations with the MOH and other project stakeholders in chosen locations in Regions Three, Four, Six, and Ten.
Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Charles Court said at the ceremony that the success of the programme was achieved in part by the ability of the CSIH to draw upon the expertise of a number of Canadians, including Guyana-based Canadians, who offered their services at no charge.
He said that the PHSGP addressed a number of key issues in Guyana’s health sector and the programme achieved in full what it had set out to do.
He said also that the doctors, nurses, health educators and students who worked alongside the experts are in good stead, having gained vast knowledge to last a lifetime.
Director of the PHSGP, Lori Jones who was involved in writing the original project expressed her pleasure at seeing its conclusion. She pointed out that a number of key positions were created and ongoing training was provided to these persons.
In addition, the project was the first of its kind to work with the University of Guyana to develop and strengthen post-secondary medical training. She said that the handing-over is only a part of the journey between the CSIH and the Guyanese people as the project has left in Guyana a network of trainers ready to train health professionals.
