Forty-two surgeries were completed by a team of doctors visiting from the George Washington University in Washington DC, including the removal of a tumour which one doctor said was the size of basketball.
Dr Michael Phillips, a member of the team also known as Doctors International (DI), told this newspaper that he feels Guyana has taken baby steps into the right direction and the ultimate goal of his team is to improve the healthcare system in Guyana.
Phillips noted that Guyana’s medical infrastructure is poor and basic things like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which is used to diagnose various illnesses, are deficient and hard to gain access to. The doctor also said Guyana lacks some basic medications.
Phillips did say, however, that the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) now has two functional theatres and he is happy about this because last year there was only one and it was in pretty rough shape.
This is the second visit of the DI team and Phillips said they were able to tackle more complicated cases this year. One patient, the doctor, said had kidney cancer and the patient’s tumour was the size of a basketball. A surgery was conducted at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) and the tumour was successfully removed. The patient is still recovering in the hospital and Phillips said he hopes the patient will make a full recovery and enjoy a long life.
The doctor also spoke about alternative methods when dealing with certain cancers, such as prostate cancer. He said it can be treated with minimally invasive surgery with the use instruments that can be inserted through the penis rather than a surgical incision of the prostate.
Meanwhile, Phillips complimented the GPH staff and said they were more confident and assured of themselves when conducting surgery. He singled out the leader of the GPH team, Dr Chris Prashad, who is a urologist. “He knows what he doesn’t know,” Phillips said, “and is willing to accept his shortcomings.” The man said he admires Prashad’s dedication to his homeland and said his openness has allowed him to grow and improve as a doctor.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran said he is happy the team is here. Relating an incident to the media, he said that last year a young man was kicked by a horse on a race track and had sustained internal bleeding. Fortunately for him, the DI team was here and was quick to treat the man even though the damage was extensive. He said the young man is happy today and he is still riding horses. The minister said too that he hopes the theatres at the WDRH will be fully utilised for surgeries.
He added that four trips were done by the DI team; two of which were scoping missions to analyse and evaluate Guyana’s health care system. He said it was these scoping missions that allowed the team to come prepared and ready for the task given to them and with no surprises.
Twenty-three medical professionals made up the DI team.
According to the DI website its primary objective is, “to provide high quality multidisciplinary healthcare to the underserved and indigent population, both nationally and internationally.”
