One day after the Guyana Times published that there was a shortage of malaria drugs at the Georgetown Public Hospital, the medical facility has confirmed that it has restocked on specific drugs to treat the illness.
The institution’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Terrance Esseboom explained that in the specific case that was reported, the patient might have needed a specific type of malaria drug which the pharmacy did not have at the time, but such was uplifted the following day from Vector Control Services.
“The hospital is not out of stock of malaria drugs but this guy apparently had to have a specific drug which I understand targets all classes of malaria. The pharmacy has three other kinds of malaria drugs but they didn’t have that one yesterday, they have it today. They collected it this morning I would assume that he would have gotten his dosage,” he explained.
On Tuesday last, the unavailability of the drug at GPHC’s main pharmacy was confirmed by Esseboom.
The confirmation of the shortage of malaria medication was made after this newspaper contacted the Ministry regarding a patient who was diagnosed with malaria but was not given any medication at the health facility.
When this publication visited the health institution, the patient, who has been shivering with high fever for the past four days, revealed that the doctors informed him that the hospital does not have any medication to treat him for malaria.
The male patient said he is being treated with injections to control his fever; however, he does not know when he will be able to leave the hospital. The man added that he longs to be at home, reunited with his family. Guyana Times observed that the patient’s lips were cracked and pale as he complained of feeling weak.
In this regard, Esseboom informed this publication that he was in shock after learning that the Hospital was without this drug, given that the Vector Control Services, which is a mere stone’s throw away from the Hospital is equipped with the medication.
In an almost annoyed tone, the Public Health PR said, “They collected the drugs from Vector Control (on Wednesday) if they had asked yesterday (Tuesday) they would have gotten it because it is there”.
GPHC has been accused many times of not only offering bad service, but delivering slow and inefficient ones as well.
This latest case highlights one of the Hospital’s flaws in treating patients.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease which can lead to death. The disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
Due to the fact that the malaria parasite is found in red blood cells of an infected person, malaria can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplant, or the shared use of needles or syringes contaminated with blood.
Malaria can be cured once treated with the right drugs. Affected persons will experience shaking, high fever, profuse sweating, headaches, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea among others.
