The recent announcement that the first cardiac unit was launched at the general public hospital in Georgetown, the capital, is certainly an uptick in healthcare in Guyana, the second poorest country in the Americas. This is big news when considering that not much positive vibes and vibrations have been emanating from this calypso and chutney mudland much more providing decent healthcare to a majority of its uninsured citizens. If you have doubts I would like to remind you that three of the four late Presidents of Guyana (Forbes Burnham, Cheddi Jagan and Desmond Hoyte) died of heart attacks when they could have been saved if Guyana had a reliable healthcare system.
Why the healthcare system of Guyana lags behind does not require an explanation from a brain surgeon but from the average person in the street who will most likely say this: Guyana has been ripped apart by partisan politics which can be aptly described as the crab in the barrel syndrome. When one moves up; another pulls him down. History is not a guide as to how to treat this national infection. Among those who control the levers of power is an embedded thought that if their own designed and defunct healthcare system does not meet their expectations, there is always the opportunity, by virtue of their status and self-conceived specimen, to seek care in greener pastures.
I doubt whether this mindset will change soon but I am confident that when ordinary citizens begin seeing their politicians seeking medical care from public health institutions they will realise that a serious message has been signalled. That is, providing decent medical care to the public has finally become a national priority.
While the launching of a cardiac unit is a step forward, the larger concern here, of course, is how efficient and effective the cardiac unit will be? This is a question that depends largely on the competence of doctors and medical staff as well as the availability of resources. What is also of concern is how accessible the cardiac unit will be to the general public, especially in far flung areas? Guyana is notoriously notable to be Georgetown centric. May I remind our politicians that all of Guyana is not Georgetown and Georgetown is not all of Guyana. This has been the image peddled in and out of the country. The time has come to diffuse resources equally to every region of the country. We cannot afford to reproduce the core-periphery relationship, the epitome of Guyana’s historical experience.
I argue that the delivery of the above concerns will give fillip to public confidence in the medical system at a time when many simply go to hospitals with feelings of resignation than resurgence. The unfortunate and under-reported/coverage death by the media of a young man at a private hospital in Georgetown and countless others across this country resonate low anywhere at any time in a country endowed with so much natural and human resources. It is a national shame.
The million dollar question here is, what ought to be done not only to support the cardiac unit but also to have an overall decent healthcare system in Guyana? Does it require the greatest minds in the world to provide this basic but unavoidable human medical need? I do not think so but human sense will sway me to explore the following possibilities.
Put aside political encomium and conduct a comprehensive assessment of Guyana’s healthcare system to determine what needs prioritisation and delivery and provide updated information to the public what the healthcare system is capable of doing and what patients can expect when seeking medical care. Doctors too must be held responsible for reckless behaviour, including public intoxication.
I argue also that decent healthcare will lead to national growth and development since it protects our most vital resources, human beings, as well as promote tourism. Guyana’s comparative advantage depends on weaving a decent healthcare system with eco-tourism.
That said, until and unless we see sound improvements, not images, the reality is anyone reading this column will not see an adequate healthcare system in his or her lifetime in Guyana. The sooner this is realised the sooner your mind will be at ease. What can we do to improve it? (Send comments to: [email protected]).
