As part of its efforts to expand healthcare accessibility in the hinterland of Guyana, the government has commissioned a telemedicine unit in the village of Waramuri, located in the Moruca sub-district, Region One.
A Department of Public Information (DPI) release on Wednesday said that this system is designed to offer the residents of Waramuri access to a wide range of specialised medical services such as ultrasounds, cardiology and oncology among other services. It would also allow community health workers and medexes to access the expertise of doctors and specialists by connecting with specialists at the Georgetown Public Hospital and other secondary health institutions via electronic tablets and other medical electronic devices, the release explained.
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony commissioned the system on Wednesday during his outreach to the Moruca sub-district. During his remarks, he told residents that 25 telemedicine sites have been established in regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.
Waramuri was identified as one of 25 additional telemedicine sites that are slated to be established this year.
“We had a team here that already installed the system, so it is functional. You can talk to anybody in Georgetown, and the secret is, not only in Georgetown [but] you can talk to anybody in any part of the world,” the minister disclosed.
This system utilises a Wi-Fi connection to be able to operate, opening up training opportunities for youths in this village.
Anthony took the opportunity to urge young people to sign up for various training programmes such as the Registered Nursing (RN) and the Nursing Assistant programmes.
“They’ll be able to use the system to access their courses and they can do all their courses online. So, this is a way that the people can come here and learn… once you complete the test and everything, then the ministry would hire you,” the minister said.
Waramuri’s toshao, Vivian Edwards, thanked the minister on behalf of his village for the steps taken by the government to enhance healthcare in the region.
“Thanks to the entire government for bringing and providing this service.”
The Health Minister also journeyed to Karaburi, also in the Morua sub-district. Just like he did in Waramuri, the minister also urged the village council to identify qualified youths who can be trained in various healthcare programmes.
Accompanying the minister were the ministry’s Hinterland Coordinator, Michael Gouveia and the Regional Health Officer.
A medical team has also been deployed to the sub-district for four days, where they will be offering services such as dentistry, screening, audiology, and oncology, the release added.
