Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr Karen Cummings is advocating embracing the use of technology in the public health sector as a means of improving services.
According to a GINA press release, the minister said that apart from establishing effective tele-medicine in regional health services, there is a need for the creation and inter-linking of computerised database systems.
She spoke to GINA about the necessity of having good communication systems among medical personnel working in the vast hinterland of Guyana. She was quoted as saying, “You want to ensure that they have good communication system, cell phones and so forth, in case they encounter any difficulties they can relate with their seniors so they can have correct diagnoses being made.”
And as regards the database, she said this would encourage evidence-based practices. “We definitely want to ensure that whatever we say it’s backed up by evidence, and so we want to work on that,” Cummings was quoted as saying.
The use of technologies in the public health sector is part of the ministry’s projections for its advancement, she said.
Streamlining the procurement of drugs and medical supplies is another way to improve the public health sector’s efficiency, she told GINA, noting the need to move from sole sourcing to open competitive bidding for the supply of drugs and medical supplies.
According to the release, Cummings said there will be a more effective procurement process within the next six months, though she cautioned there will be “teething problems” in this process. The ministry is working towards the establishment of a national procurement oversight committee which will “ensure efficiency in the acquisition and delivery of drugs to various health institutions nationwide,” the release stated.
Meanwhile, it was noted that encouraging health literacy through improved doctor/patient relations is also essential to the promotion of effective health care and healthy citizens. The release said Cummings hopes to impress on doctors and health care providers, the importance of establishing good rapport with their patients. She said that in order for patients to make the right decisions with regard to their health they need to be informed.
“We have to keep educating our patients. We have to keep working on that through our social media, our media campaigns, TV stations, infomercials and so forth,” Cummings was quoted as saying. She added that the ministry is working with schools and workplaces in various public awareness activities.
Seventy per cent of the Ministry of Public Health’s budget has been set aside to deal with non-communicable diseases, including mental health, GINA said.
Cummings said the ministry has been advocating screening as part of its preventative measures and at the moment six health facilities are involved in a pilot as part of a disease and patient management initiative. They are the Leguan and Wakenaam District Hospitals, Enmore Poly Clinic, the Campbellville and Herstelling Health Centres, and the East Bank Demerara Hospital, the release said.
And given the global prevalence of vector borne diseases, the Ministry of Public Health is continuing passive surveillance of the Zika situation, the release said, in tandem with its fogging and spraying exercise along with the distribution of treated bed nets in hinterland areas.
