In an effort to reduce the backlog of hernia cases at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), a number of lead surgeons, surgical residents and other medical officials recently joined forces to treat 50 patients in the form of surgeries.
This was announced by the GPHC on Tuesday during a press conference at its Resource Centre, in New Market Street, Georgetown. A total of 62 surgeries were conducted in a matter of days by the professionals who were eager to see their patients live their lives without being stigmatised.
Head of General Surgery, Dr Navindranuth Rambaran
Along with the GPHC, the New Amsterdam Hospital also targeted and saw 18 hernia patients being treated with 21 surgeries. It was explained by Head General Surgery, Dr Navindranuth Rambaran that the number of surgeries conducted exceeded the amount of patients, as some patients’ required more than one operation, due to multiple hernias.
A hernia occurs when an organ or fatty tissue squeezes through a weak spot in a surrounding muscle or connective tissue called fascia. The most common types of hernias are inguinal (inner groin), incisional (resulting from an incision), femoral (outer groin), umbilical (belly button), and hiatal (upper stomach).
A person who is affected by an inguinal hernia may experience pain or discomfort in the affected area, which is usually the lower abdomen, especially when bending over, coughing or even lifting an object. It also causes weakness among other things.
Hernias are caused by a combination of muscle weakness and strain. Depending on its cause, a hernia can develop quickly or over a long period of time.
While hernias are more common in men, females are also affected.
The successful surgeries, as explained by Dr Rambaran, were not possible without the aid of the eight lead surgeons, 13 surgical residents and other medical officers.
It was noted by the doctor that most of the patients operated on were able to leave the hospital the same day and even walk hours after the surgery.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, Brigadier (Ret’d) George Lewis told media operatives that the health institution recognised the need for the surgeries and was able to complete them in a timely manner.
He alluded to the fact that quite a number of patients refused surgery because of the festive season, while some were excited to be operated on.
In fact, Lewis promised that come 2019, “Operation Hernia” will continue. According to him, the Hospital will continue to collaborate with the Public Health Ministry to take such operations to the outlying areas, even if it means taking surgeons from GPHC to areas such as Linden and others.
On another note, the CEO gave his word that “Operation Fibroid” will commence early 2019. A fibroid is a type of fat that grows and develops mostly in women.
A fibroid can cause a woman to suffer anaemia as a result of heavy fibroid bleeding. It can also cause back pain or a feeling of pressure in the lower belly. Women who have fibroids often experience trouble conceiving and suffer problems during pregnancy such as miscarriage or preterm labour, among others.
