After months under construction, the Georgetown Public Hospital will now see an expanded maternity ward as the completion of the project is expected by May monthend.
Pregnant mothers as well as those that have already delivered are forced to share a bed in the maternity ward
This is according to Public Health Minister Dr George Norton who told Guyana Times during an interview that space has also been high on the agenda of the ministry and as such they are pushing to have the project completed by next month.
This comes at a time when the efficiency of the ministry is being questioned after photos of a mother with her newborn sleeping under a hospital bed in the ward went viral.
Norton said this has always been a concern for the ministry as the amount of mothers admitted has been on the rise over the years.
However he said, this is not an issue where there is lack of finances to purchases beds but rather insufficient space to house the mothers.
Norton said this will soon be resolved since the ministry will be embarking on a number of initiatives to avert such situations.
He said this includes the training of midwives since there has been a decrease in the number over the years.
Norton disclosed that currently there are 39 midwives at the GPH’s maternity ward, compared to 48 last year.
To address the shortage, the minister said three batches will be undergoing training throughout the rest of the year.
Norton said this would be a major role in improving the delivery of health care, since patients would be adequately taken care of by the health practitioners.
Also on the issue where mothers have to share beds, the minister said this will be taken care of once the expansion is completed.
Meanwhile, 50 beds will be handed over to the maternity ward during this week to offer a short-term solution until May when the project is completed.
On April 7, when this publication had visited the GPH maternity ward, some mothers complained of restless nights, of being unable to sleep due to the fact it is practically impossible to have a good night’s rest when they, just out of the delivery room, have to sleep with their new-born baby.
The new mothers also expressed concerns over the manner in which the nurses carry out their duties, describing it as a “don’t care” attitude. Additionally, mothers recalled instances where as many as three babies had to share one incubator.
Some of the patients were reluctant to be photographed for fear of being harassed; however, some were keen on having the issue highlighted.
