…doctors overworked
…surgeries cancelled due to overcrowding
By Jarryl Bryan
A visit to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) by the Social Services Committee of Parliament has unearthed systematic deficiencies affecting the health-care service being provided to the average citizen.
A special report from the committee details that staff at the Accident and Emergency Unit (A&E) of the hospital, are grappling with cramped space, shortages of staff and drugs and poor maintenance of equipment in this most critical of units.
Head of the A&E unit Dr Zulficar Bux
The parliamentary delegation, which was led by Chairperson of the Sectoral Committee, Dr Vindhya Persaud, was debriefed by Dr Zulficar Bux upon arriving at the unit. According to a report from that visit, the A&E has 18 beds and a staff of 16 doctors assisted by nurses.
These beds, the reports noted, are expected to cater for 60 to 100 patients. Dr Bux revealed that these 16 doctors see between 100 to 200 patients per day, including referrals. There have been cases, the report revealed, where elective surgeries we’re cancelled due to this overcrowding.
The parliamentary report notes that the supervisor of the nursing school informed delegates that indeed there is a shortage of nurses across Guyana. It was pointed out that advertisements have been sent out in an effort to employ more nurses.
The A&E unit, which Dr Bux noted was critical and should be given priority concern, is equipped with three Electrocardiograph (ECG) machines. It also features 18 monitors. But maintenance is an issue.
“Dr Bux noted that the issue of maintenance of equipment has been challenging to the department, since there is a lack of qualified persons in the country to maintain those equipment, hence maintenance could take some time,” the report reveals, adding that equipment such as the ECG machines are vital to the department.
Other issues in the department which Dr Bux brought to the committee’s attention was the length of time, six to eight hours, it took for lab results to be returned. He noted that there is also no portable X-Ray machine in the department, which adds to the woes in delivering efficient patient care.
According to the report, GPHC Chairman Kesaundra Alves informed the Committee that the GPHC Board had invited several departments to submit a document outlining their needs. These departments; A&E, Internal Medicine, Paediatrics and the Maternity Ward, were asked to include requests for drugs, machines, equipment and medical supplies in this document.
The Committee noted that when asked, other doctors reiterated the need for more staff as the current staff were overworked and burnt out due to long hours of work.
“They further stated that elective surgeries are cancelled due to emergencies in the department and that the deficiencies in drugs need to be addressed. They also suggested that referral patients coming to the hospital who were not critical can be attended to at their respective health centres. The doctors expressed safety concerns for the staff, since there have been incidents before where staff were verbally and physically abused,” the report states.
Recommendations
The Committee recommended a number of measures it deemed necessary to improve health services being offered at the facility to the citizenry and those in need. As a start, it recommended the A&E staff complement be boosted with 30 doctors and nine nurses. In addition, it recommended that a trained specialist be kept at the department to maintain its machines and equipment.
“Remuneration package for nurses should be reviewed in order to retain them. The GPHC should be manned by armed security personnel, male and female, on a 24-hour basis. Security system should be put in place to protect staff against unruly patients or their family members,” the Committee also recommended in their report.
The Committee also urged the hospital management to address issues with space in the A&E unit as soon as possible. And it was recommended that a Paediatric section, an isolation room for tuberculosis patients and a decontamination room be created within the unit.
“The A&E department should have a lab in the department to assist it with its work. A portable X-Ray and two additional portable ultrasound machines should be acquired for this department. Training should be made available on a continuous basis for both doctors and nurses,” the parliamentary committee further recommended.
At the time of the Committee’s drama filled visit, May 3, 2017, they had already visited several other health centres and hospitals around the country. GPHC was the fourth such visit. Their report on the visit was presented to the National Assembly since August 4, 2017.
With the National Budget scheduled to be read later this month, it remains to be seen what provisions will be made for Guyana’s primary public hospital.
