GPHC CEO wants review of how maternal deaths are classified

– says some transfers appear to be attempts to avoid deaths being recorded under other hospitals’ statistics

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has recorded nine maternal deaths so far this year – a slight increase from last year’s eight. But according to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robbie Rambarran, most of the cases involved patients referred in critical condition from other hospitals, including private facilities.

Speaking candidly on the issue at the welcoming ceremony for a Qatar team that will be conducting major surgeries in Guyana, Rambarran said while every maternal death is a tragedy, the numbers must be understood in context.
“From January to now, if I recall correctly, we’ve had about nine deaths. It’s an increase from last year’s eight,” he said. “But a lot of those patients were referred to us from other hospitals and came in very critical states.”
Rambarran explained that review reports for each case have been completed and are being submitted to the Medical Council for further examination and recommendations.
“Many of the reviews are done. I have them on my desk. I’ll be discussing them with my medical team before forwarding them to the Medical Council,” he said.
The GPHC head noted that the majority of deaths occurred among patients transferred from private institutions, raising concerns about the timing of referrals and the standards of care at those facilities.
“The majority of the patients that died so far came from private hospitals. Sometimes they send them to us when there’s nothing different we can do for them,” Rambarran stated.
He added that in some instances, the transfers appeared to be attempts to avoid the deaths being recorded under the private hospitals’ statistics.
“I honestly believe that private hospitals like doing this because the deaths don’t fall under their numbers; they come under ours,” Rambarran said. “It’s something I’ve raised at the board level. We need to review how these deaths are classified.”
Rambarran clarified that not all the deaths were directly related to childbirth complications. Some were classified as indirect maternal deaths caused by unrelated health emergencies.
“There were quite a few indirect deaths, cases not related to maternal issues. Some were due to poison ingestion; one was a head injury. But the direct deaths are the ones we really need to examine closely,” he explained.
He dismissed suggestions that the rise could be linked to staff shortages, instead pointing to the public’s lack of confidence in regional facilities as a factor that continues to overwhelm the Georgetown hospital.
“It’s not a staffing issue. It’s a culture issue,” he said. “People still want to come to the Georgetown Hospital even when they can be treated elsewhere. It will take time and commitment to change that.”
Rambarran emphasised that transparency and accountability remain central to how the GPHC operates, adding that every maternal and neonatal death is investigated to identify lessons and gaps in the system.

Qatar medical mission
Meanwhile, the hospital is hosting a medical mission from Qatar, which is expected to perform over 100 surgeries in Guyana over the coming days.
The team of specialised medical professionals from Qatar has arrived in Guyana recently and will conduct surgical procedures on both children and adults in the coming days. The visiting delegation will also evaluate Guyana’s healthcare needs and offer training to local doctors in advanced medical techniques.
All operations are scheduled to take place at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) from October 9 to 15.
According to Rambarran, “There are nine medical specialists as part of this team; there are paediatric interventional cardiologists, anaesthesiologists, obstetrics and gynaecology specialists, paediatric urology specialists and a cath lab technician.”
During the mission, roughly 16 complex paediatric urology operations and 30 adult procedures – including 12 intricate gynaecology cases – are expected to be completed.
Chargé d’Affaires at the Qatar Embassy in Georgetown, Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Ruhamihi, described the initiative as “the first step in strengthening humanitarian relations between Guyana and Qatar through the medical mission.”
He added, “It is worth noting that the medical team aims to perform more than 120 surgical procedures, including surgeries and consultations for children and women, particularly for heart disease and tumours in women, with specific surgical procedures and numerous medical consultations.”
Al-Ruhamihi noted that Qatar has dispatched “its best and most experienced doctors,” drawn from leading institutions such as Hamad Medical Corporation and Sidra Medical and Research Corporation. The mission is being financed by the Qatar Fund for Development.
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony highlighted the value of collaboration and skill-building during the initiative. “What we want to see happen during this mission is a transfer of knowledge, to build capacity for our local team so that when they leave, we can have persons with the expertise that can carry on such surgeries,” Dr Anthony explained.