11th CaSES Conference: Guyana makes new leap in laparoscopic surgery

The prevalence of laparoscopic surgeries continues to advance in Guyana as the country played host to the 11th Caribbean Society of Endoscopic Surgeons (CaSES) Conference, in which medical practitioners across the Caribbean region connected over developments in the areas of laparoscopy and endoscopy.
During day two of the three-day conference, Friday, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony explained that while performing laparoscopic surgeries is a good initiative, sourcing equipment and trained personnel was earlier a challenge. However, he noted that through dedication of the staff of the Georgetown Public Hospital, especially Dr Hemraj Ramcharran, over 20 surgeons have been trained thus far to perform these procedures.
Further, with the consistent construction and upgrading of hospitals across the country, the new facilities are expected to be equipped with the necessary equipment to perform these surgeries effectively.
During a presentation on laparoscopic surgery in GPHC and Guyana at large, GPHC surgeon Dr Jagnand Ramnarine explained that the country documented its first surgery of this sort in 2001, later recording an average of three cases per month between 2002 and 2014, a GPHC statement explained.

Following the introduction of the General Surgery Residency Programme at GPHC’s Institute of Health Science Education, this number continued to grow, with the hospital seeing an average of 26 cases per month in 2018. By 2022, within the period from January to August, 129 cases were successfully performed.
GPHC on Friday had reported that four minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries were performed by renowned regional surgeons from CaSES, three of which were conducted for the first time at the hospital, and one for the first time in Guyana. These surgeries involved Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy; Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass – a procedure that offers new hope to patients in need of gastric bypass surgery; Tip Inguinal Hernia Repair – a procedure to repair the right inguinal hernia; and Laparoscopic Hysterectomy – a procedure that involved the removal of the uterus. The surgeries were broadcasted live from the operating theatres to a training room at the Institute of Health Science Education (IHSE), thus enabling participants to witness and learn from the experts.
“By embracing laparoscopic techniques, patients can now anticipate reduced pain, fewer wound complications, quicker post-operative recovery, shorter hospital stays, and a faster return to their regular lives and work routines,” a GPHC press release stated.
The three-day conference had a number of presentations, including: Tips and Tricks for Laparoscopic Hysterectomy; Laparoscopic Hepatectomy and Roux-en-Y Bariatric Surgery; as well as Challenges in starting Laparoscopic Hepatobiliary Surgery in a Caribbean country, and Laparoscopic Approaches to Complex Endometriosis.

Nurses
During his remarks on Friday, Minister Anthony also stated that more needs to be done to retain nurses within Guyana and the Caribbean’s health sectors. “We recognize that we’re having a challenge with nurses, training staff and retaining them. Early this year, we increased the salaries of all our healthcare workers, but nurses especially are being recruited constantly from Guyana and other Caribbean countries, and that’s a major problem. This is something we have to work on as a region; and if not addressed, it can lead to degradation of the quality of health care that we can provide,” Dr Anthony said.
Dr Anthony further advocated for cross-collaboration training to be done with the Caribbean countries. (G13)