During the second quarter of this year, 108 hinterland patients were medically evacuated on 106 flights, according to the Director of Regional Health Services (RHS), Dr Kay Shako.
Providing a report on the RHS’s activities, Dr Shako told GINA that the medical evacuations cost $41.3m.
She said that 355 other people benefitted from services including high risk clinics, eye care, ultrasound and Visual Inspection using Acetic Acid (VIA) from an outreach in Region Nine. Seventy-two persons also benefitted from surgical interventions in general surgery, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology.
According to GINA, numerous women have also benefitted from VIAs through the Cervical Cancer screening Intervention in the hinterland. Four of the women screened tested positive and benefitted from 100% cryotherapy and other necessary treatment. Two new VIA sites were also established in the hinterland regions and are fully functional.
The release added that efforts continued to be made to have the requisite specialists for locations with operating theatres (Mabaruma and Lethem). A request was recently made to the Cuban Embassy for specialists to be included as part of the Medical Brigade, which supports the local health care centre.
Among the specialist areas required are anaesthesia, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine and paediatrics.
These areas have traditionally been served by specialist/surgical outreaches with the aim of providing direct support to the region through the provision of VIA screening, mental health services, paediatric clinic, ultrasound and ophthalmology services and surgeries among other services which are not readily available in these regions, GINA reported.
