The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Friday commissioned a new building, which will function as an Oncology Department and the Institute of Health Science Education (IHSE).
Speaking at the ceremony, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence noted that the facility will ensure that cancer patients are provided with increased care, where they can look forward to chemotherapy treatments at no cost.
“I have noticed that the trend of the discourse has focused on the strategic move to utilise this building to consolidate the work of the Health Science Education Department and to extend the work of the Oncology Department.”
Additionally, it will serve the educational function of the hospital, which provides post-graduate programmes through the IHSE.
“These post-grad programmes entail comprehensive advanced training in
The ribbon-cutting ceremony: Minister Volda Lawrence and an official from the GPHC along with Minister Karen Cummings during the official opening ceremony
specialised areas and our expectations are that we will produce the core of healthcare providers needed to ensure quality healthcare across all our regions and in all our communities is guaranteed. I want to make provisions for our people to receive health and optimal cancer care.” Meanwhile, Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr Sheik Amir related that this facility was a necessity since there was a lack of teaching space to facilitate the students. Additionally, while the services were good, the state of the building was not satisfactory. Now that the building has been acquired, they will be able to provide better healthcare to the public.
“We had the Oncology Unit which was under the old interns flat. Not very satisfactory condition but nevertheless, the service was great. So, we needed a new location for the Oncology Unit,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GHPC, Brigadier (ret’d) George Lewis highlighted the need for utilising the facilities in a careful manner, since it will improve the quality of services.
“Together, the new and improved facilities for Institute of Health Science Education and the Oncology Department will better enable us to achieve our mission of providing efficient healthcare services in an equitable manner and promoting teaching and research here at the Georgetown Public Hospital,” Lewis remarked.
The upper flat of the 30 feet by 60 feet building will function as the IHSE, while the lower flat will be used as the Oncology Department. The teaching facilities that are provided include equipment for online training, an online library, two offices and two classrooms which can host approximately 50 students.
Guyana ranks highest in the Caribbean region with regards to cancer with an incidence rate of 46.9 per cent and a mortality rate of 21 per 100,000 persons. On the other hand, cervical cancer kills an estimated 100 women every year. As such, increased interventions are being introduced to provide early screening and treatment to reduce these numbers.
