Govt claims Surinamese utilising Guyana’s health facilities

N/A Hospital drug shortage

Government is taking steps to address complaints emerging out of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) by health officials who said residents of neighbouring Suriname are coming to Guyana to utilise the free health services in Berbice.

The situation seems to be contributing somewhat to the drug shortages being experienced at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon said the drug shortage at that particular hospital is not a general one but would be of a specific drug. He said the matter is currently being addressed by the Public Health Minister.

Recently, a team including Junior Public Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings visited the New Amsterdam Hospital and found this, although it is something Government might have been aware of for some time.

The Minister said it was found during one of her outreach meetings in the region, further disclosing that officials complained that persons were coming from Suriname and utilising the medical services.

“Because the bulk of it is free and so you have a lot of traffic coming to New Amsterdam, coming to Berbice and utilising our system,” she told reporters.

Last week, the Social Services Parliamentary Sectoral Committee visited the New Amsterdam Hospital to examine the functions and management of the healthcare facility.

Members of the Committee found that drug shortages at the health institution remain a sore issue. However, Director of Health Services in the region, Jevaughn Stephens, revealed that the issues are as a result of the suppliers routinely delivering important and much needed drugs late.

Chairperson of the Social Services Committee, Dr Vindhya Persaud explained that the continued shortage has forced the regional hospital to purchase drugs, using the emergency funds, but there still is not enough provision to meet the demand.

The Chairperson had noted that the system of transferring drugs from the Materials Management Unit (MMU) to the health facility leaves loopholes for discrepancies, hence the shortages. Meanwhile, Dr Cummings said the Ministry is aware of these issues and is in the process of addressing them.

Minister Cummings said “The Ministry of (Public) Health is working to bridge the gap that exists in all essential areas. The Ministry was engaged with some of their international partners like (Pan American Health Organisation) PAHO… we do have a problem with suppliers because they are saying suppliers don’t have the quantity or the name of the drug so we are engaged with our international partners to ensure that we have these drugs.”

Meanwhile, during the tour of the healthcare facility, the need for additional staff in administrative and technical areas was recorded, with a specific need for porters and medical laboratory technologists. Dr Persaud also recommended that accommodation facilities and allowances for ‘on call’ doctors be restructured to encourage the workforce to deliver optimum services.