The Georgetown Public Hospital’s (GPH) Oncology Room was reopened on Friday during a simple ceremony that also marked the culmination of a one-week oncology training programme for nurses, who received certificates, while a call for annual training to be offered was made.
The project was done by the Organisation for Social and Health Advancement in Guyana (OSHAG) in collaboration with the GPH and Caribbean Medical Mission (CMM).
According to President of OSHAG, Carol Trim-Bagot, OSHAG collaborated with the GPH to open up the Oncology room. She said that training for nurses from the oncology department, was provided by Nurses Latisha Smith, Rose Mason and Stacy Farrell, all of whom are attached to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, USA. Local nurses benefited from a four-day (20 hours) training on how to administer chemotherapy and safety precautions for both patient and nurses. Trim-Bagot said the programme will be sustained by OSHAG, in collaboration with the GPH. “To ensure that we continue to bring in the right equipment that they need, furnishing of the room with more modern chairs and other things that they need,” she explained.
Arlene Trim, a nurse attached to St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, USA, was also part of the visiting team. Trim-Bagot said that Trim
worked in the operating room, conducting gastrointestinal (GI) surgery care with Oncologist Dr Molokwu. She said that over the last three days, the duo attended to over 50 GI cases. She said “OSHAG is very much alive in terms of understanding the needs of cancer,” said Trim-Bagot, adding, “Because that is where our focus was.” She further mentioned that the organisation also does other social projects in the community, but continues to focus on Cancer care. A recent project highlighted, was the donation of wigs to the Periwinkle Club.
Dr Trevor Layne, a member of OSHAG since its inception in 2002, said it came about as a result of a lot of women going to New York, where Trim-Bagot was working, for cancer care. He said Trim-Bagot would liaise with the women until they got visas to travel to the USA for cancer care at the hospital where he works.
He said now the organization is focused on cancer care, adding that “since then it has been a dream to set up a cancer centre,” with all the appropriate equipment. He said that was what Trim-Bagot was working towards. He also noted that the project was endorsed by the GPH’s Chief executive Officer Michael Khan two months ago.
On this trip, Dr Layne said, he worked in Corentyne, Berbice.
Meanwhile, Dr Theophilus Lewis said he came as a part of the CMM after he was approached by Trim-Bagot to be a part of the cancer programme by teaching of the oncology nurses.
He noted that the care of cancer patients was not good at the public health facility. “The way chemotherapy was mixed… administered were all flawed,” according to Dr Lewis. However, he said, the visiting nurses did a good job in training the locals, who learned quickly and “are excited to get to be able to really implement international standards.”
Lewis said he suggested that Khan selects doctors and nurses to be a part of oncology training with an American programme called National Comprehensive Cancer Network. It meets every year and that he has suggested that at least two doctors and a nurse should attend the training. The feedback from the administration has been positive, he stated.
Trim-Bagot thanked Caribbean Airlines for sponsoring the airfare of the Oncology nurses, as she noted their response in spite of a late approach.
Fifteen local nurses were trained by the team.
