Georgetown Public Health Corporation (GPHC) Surgeon Dr. Pradeep Ramkoomar
Recognising the country’s permanent need for the availability of adult open-heart surgery and management, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Surgeon Dr. Pradeep Ramkoomar had, in 2020, embarked on a three-year fellowship training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission in Chennai, India.
Having successfully completed this fellowship with the support of GPHC, Dr. Ramkoomar has returned to Guyana as the only adult open-heart surgeon in the country, signifying tremendous headway in the provision of world-class healthcare to Guyanese, according to a GPHC press release.
Dr Ramkoomar’s training, which included beating heart surgery and conventional on-pump bypass, with exposure to robotics and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, has positioned him to pioneer the establishment of a department of Adult Cardiac Surgery at GPHC. This department will facilitate the routine provision of coronary artery bypass surgeries and heart valve replacements and repairs, among other open-heart procedures for persons with coronary artery and valvular heart diseases.
Additionally, the department will augment GPHC’s current clinical and interventional arms of cardiovascular services with the provision of full-time surgical support.
Currently, at least four GPHC patients are identified as requiring open-heart surgeries on a weekly basis, in addition to a backlog of patients awaiting these procedures, who may have otherwise had to travel out of the country and pay to access these interventions.
With the establishment of the Department of Adult Cardiac Surgery, GPHC will have the capacity to provide elective and emergency coverage for services such as minimally invasive valve surgeries and transcatheter aortic and mitral valve replacements.
Cardiovascular diseases remain one of the leading health concerns in the country, with Guyana recording one of the highest rates of cardiovascular mortality in South America, with 291.9 deaths for every 100,000 people – 54 per cent higher than the global average. This is according to recently published research undertaken by the Guyana Programme to Advance Cardiac Care (GPACC) under the Global Heart Journal.
Further, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) cites ischemic heart disease as the leading cause of death in Guyana, accounting for 15 per cent of the total deaths annually. Though significant progress has been made to address these concerns through the provision of private-public partnerships and some support provided by the Government, GPHC acknowledges the need to ensure the trajectory of Guyana’s healthcare infrastructure is positioned to address the country’s epidemiological profile.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ramkoomar continues to advocate for the establishment of a sustainable and reliable model of adult cardiovascular care, which mimics the more successful centres worldwide, that operate independently, with clinical, interventional, and surgical arms under their purview.
