In an effort to expand specialised services the local health sector is moving to strengthen surgical services across the country and began training nurses as anaesthetists fromyesterday.
Surgical services at New Amsterdam, West Demerara, Linden and Suddie hospitals will receive a boost in the coming months. Additionally, routine surgical services are to be introduced in Bartica and monthly surgical clinics will be held at the Lethem and Mabaruma Hospitals.
Nine nurses have been selected for training and will return to serve the health sector in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and Ten, a Ministry of Health press release stated yesterday.
The availability of anaesthesia staff in the local health sector is currently a constraint with the capacity being very limited.
However, specialised anaesthesiologists are employed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and sometimes in New Amsterdam.
“We are hoping to change this situation with the introduction of a new post-graduate training programme at the GPHC. We are hopeful that within weeks the training of doctors to become anaesthesiologists will begin. This programme will be a joint exercise involving GPHC, the University of Guyana and the Ministry of Health, with assistance from the Inter-American Development Bank,” Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy was quoted as saying in the press release.
Ramsammy pointed to this being another example of an improved training programme addressing the growing needs of the health sector. He stated that government has been extending health care services to have greater coverage of the population and extending the menu of services provided.
He noted that adequate provision of technical personnel was important, adding that an enhanced training program had been developed whereby specialist training is becoming available locally. Further, the minister commended the GPHC for providing the training for nurses.
