Georgetown : The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission held a reception last night for members of the medical fraternity both local and overseas-based in honour of the excellent work of the Canada/Guyana Partnership for Health Care Development Initiatives, in the areas of cardiology and urology.
Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran applauded the support from Canada in the local health sector. He said that though Canada’s capacity to help is small, the support is enormous.
Over the past few years, he said the collaboration between the two countries has been growing and expressed appreciation to members of the medical fraternity for their support in the continued efforts to improve the local health care services, thereby making these programmes sustainable.
“These various efforts are strengthening our health sector, but our health sector too is contributing,” he said, as the administration has been investing billions of dollars yearly for its continued improvement.
He spoke of the administration’s vision to train 500 young Guyanese doctors, who today are serving in the health system, and expressed the hope that Canada will get on board and assist.
Dr. Ramsaran said that not only will the many programmes instituted by Canada in Guyana provide clinical skills, but also training to the local health care providers.
Canadian High Commissioner, David Devine acknowledged the partnership between the two countries to further develop health care services locally. He lauded the many accomplishments by Government, through the Ministry of Health. Projects such as the Guyana Diabetic Foot Care project in Regions 2,3,4,6 and 10 has been very successful and beneficial to Guyanese, as a result of which foot amputation of diabetics has decreased by more than 50 percent.
This project, he said won the 2013 award for the best research from a developing country from the Journal of Wound Care.
High Commissioner Devine also mentioned the establishment of the three Neonatal Intensive Care Units (GPHC and Linden and New Amsterdam hospitals) which are designed to improve the quality of services offered to newborn babies. These units are well equipped with incubators, warmers, cardio respiratory monitors and baby ventilators, and became a reality through the partnership of Canadian-Guyanese paediatrician Dr Narendra Singh of Humber Hospital, Toronto and his NGO, Guyana Help the Kids.
The Chronic Non Communicable Diseases Care at the Georgetown Hospital has also been very timely because chronic diseases are rapidly becoming a health care challenge for Governments. The programme at the GPHC was initiated by Professor Kishan Narine from Calgary University of Canada. “Your collaboration is not just opportune, but they have addressed a need that is growing and threaten our most vulnerable resources, our people,” he said.
These initiatives provide an invaluable service to the people and will enhance the health care system that they can now benefit from.
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