Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy says the health sector here continues to face challenges in implementing safe injection practices and the disposal of medical waste and he is calling on professionals to be more vigilant.
Ramsammy declared yesterday that the delivery of services in the sector is diminished when certain aspects are in place and others are not, saying “it is not only about how many experienced doctors we have”. He said the issue of safe injection practices is critical because countries are still facing problems including the spread of HIV through infected needles.
The minister said Guyana has not documented any cases within recent years which involve the transmission of HIV through infected needles in the health sector, but he stressed that professionals need to be careful and use the systems which are in place. He added that some 300,000 cases were reported globally where persons were infected through needles.
Speaking at a ceremony to recognize the successful implementation of safe injection and waste management practices at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Ramsammy said it is important that management systems are in place across the country and people are held accountable. GPHC’s Injection Safety and Waste Management Practices were first introduced in 2004 at the hospital as part of a collaboration project with the Guyana Safer Injection Project.
The project was funded through the US government’s PEPFAR programme and it came to an end last year, but an extension was granted and it is expected to run until March.
It was first piloted in four regions then rolled out across the country at hospitals and health centres. Several health professionals at the public hospital were trained and the project is expected to continue when the timeline has ended.
Ramsammy also said that his ministry is paying close attention to what is happening in the sector with injections. He disclosed that the records show a staggering 1.5 million injections were done in the country last year and according to him, half of them were not necessary. He said information reveals that the injections last year were for administering medicine; drawing blood for laboratory work and blood transfusions about other things. Still, he said, many of them were not necessary.
Commenting on the disposal of medical waste in the health sector, he said, this is a real problem because after the waste leaves the hospital it could end up in the hands of the wrong people.
Ramsammy recalled that medical waste was discovered on street corners last year saying that the hospital has its part to do in addition to the people responsible for removing the waste.
He added that in a short while the public hospital will launch a modern waste disposal system.
The minister also spoke on the issue of the quality of service which some professionals are offering to the public. He said that nurses, for example, are often accused of mistreating people and that questions have been asked about what steps are being taken so that the ideal situation of how “things should be” can be achieved. Ramsammy said that the ideal is what the sector is aiming for, but pointed out that this is not always the case.
He said training is ongoing in the health sector, stressing that people need not ask whether training is being expanded. He said the real question people should ask is whether the sector is reaping any reciprocal benefits from the training that is already done. “…the answer is not always. We have not always seen the benefits of the training, but we will continue to train people and also put systems in place which will take the sector forward,” the minister added.