The backlog of ultrasounds and echocardiograms at the George-town Public Hospital (GPH) has been significantly reduced following the partnership between government and private hospitals formed in April of this year, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony says.
“For ultrasounds, the backlog has been cleared. With regards to echocardiography, we have completed 1,280,” Anthony told Stabroek News when asked for an update.
He informed that regarding echocardiography, 1,780 needed to be cleared, and with the 1,280 performed up to Friday, 500 remain and those are being addressed.
In early April of this year, President Irfaan Ali announced that he had met with several healthcare providers from the private sector at State House where greater public and private collaboration was discussed. Among those represented were Dr Balwant Singh Hospital, Sheriff Medical Hospital, and Woodlands Hospital Limited. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and the head of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Robbie Rambarran, were also part of that meeting.
Jagdeo noted that government is currently moving to procure replacement equipment and has implemented temporary measures to address the backlog, as time is of the utmost importance when dealing with medical issues. In the meantime, the private hospitals have stepped in to assist, for a fee.
Explaining the initiative, Jagdeo had said that the backlog should be cleared in three months.
The echocardiogram and ultrasound machine, he said, were damaged in the GPH fire.
“We see the need for expanded healthcare and we are building 12 new hospitals and we are starting to improve services. This week the President convened a meeting. We found out that there was a huge backlog because one of the [pieces of] equipment was damaged in the fire at the Georgetown Hospital. We had about 3,000 people needing echocardiograms and we can’t deliver it in the government [hospitals].
“So we brought all the private sector operators and we decided that now, for a fee, they will clear the backlog within three months, and three thousand persons who are waiting will get that service and another 2,000 waiting for ultrasounds. [All this] while we are buying some new equipment,” the Vice President was quoted as saying.
President Ali had said that he reminded the group that his government is focussed on developing and advancing primary healthcare and reducing the cost of specialised care.
Following the meeting, Anthony had told this newspaper when contacted, that the partnership was entered into so that local private hospitals would provide the services at a subsidised cost and gave the areas of focus.
“The specific area that we are dealing with right now is echocardiograms and ultrasounds. There are a number of persons who need these as we have noticed that we have a backlog in the public health care system. Over the next month or so we need to clear that backlog,” he had explained.
“We have enlisted the private hospitals to help us… they will do the echo and the ultrasound and we will pay for the services… this is the immediate collaboration,” he disclosed.
According to Anthony, as government works to improve health services and equip the public hospitals with state-of-the-art machines and lab equipment, it was decided to turn to the private hospitals to meet the immediate needs of the patients.
On New Year’s Day, 2022, fire destroyed the public health system’s lone ECG laboratory and left some $25 million worth of damage behind.
Arson was suspected and a doctor was questioned as part of the investigation and released on station bail. At the time of the fire, that doctor had been suspended from work following allegations of sexual harassment brought by a staff member. The doctor was eventually fired from the hospital.
Leading up to the fire, camera footage showed the doctor in the vicinity of the ECG laboratory. However, because he had been suspended, he was not supposed to be on duty or in the area of the laboratory.
In February of this year, the police had said that investigators were awaiting an analysis report from the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory.
It is unclear if that report has been handed over as yet.
