Hugo Chávez Centre, the Palms to receive capacity boost

Fifty females and one male are undergoing training under the Patient Care Assistant Training Programme.

This is the 11th batch of trainees under the programme. The participants were selected from Regions Three, Four and Five to undergo the six-month training.

At the formal launch of the programme which is in its seventh week, Chairperson of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Board, Kesaundra Alves read Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence’s charge to participants. Alves said that as Patient Care Assistants, the participants upon graduation would provide direct and/or indirect care, including medical assessment, treatment, counselling and psychological assistance.

According to the Minister’s charge, this training is of significant importance to the Division of Health Sciences in the Public Health Ministry and the health facilities to which the students would be assigned. She said, “the need for trained Patient Care Assistants has, therefore, become imperative and it is to this end that this training programme has been implemented to fill the existing gaps as quickly as possible.”

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, Alves said the students who would be sent to the Hugo Chávez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration would have to interact with indigent persons who had no fixed place of abode, the less fortunate and homeless who may be in need of medical assessment and treatment, counselling and psychological assistance to enable them to become disciplined and productive members of society.

She further explained to the students that at the Palms Geriatric Home, they would be providing care for the elderly who need more careful attention as they advance in age. Some patients may demand even more care depending on their health status, to assist with daily living activities, observing and charting changes in their health or behaviour, and helping with hygiene and cleanliness.

Alves urged that kindness always be extended. “There may be instances when you may be called to perform extra duties; do not make it an issue, but respond with compassion; your intervention may just be the response that eases the patients’ state of mind,” she said.

Alves said the Public Health Minister would like to remind the students that their patients come first, that they were critical to providing high-quality care with desirable outcomes, and there must be a comprehensive approach to effective patient care.

Further, Alves noted that Minister Lawrence would like to encourage the students to always continue to learn and keep abreast with the new techniques and technologies that would improve the quality of patient care.

GPHC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Allan Johnson, in his encouraging words to the students, urged them to revise constantly and excel in their training. Johnson said for a majority of the students in the course, “this is a second chance”, and he hoped that they would make use of it. The CEO told the students that “they will be successful in their training” which will help improve the health sector.

Programme Coordinator Doneth Mingo said the programme was designed to prepare Patient Care Assistants to perform basic nursing skills under the supervision of a professional nurse. She said there was space in the world of nursing for nurses who were less qualified and needed less training.

GINA spoke with some of the students who are being trained. Sherry Ann Toney-Cort said, “I have been working at the Palms for 10 years, and I have now been given the opportunity to be trained in what I love doing. I am very thankful to God for this opportunity. Thus far, the programme has been wonderful and very informative.”

Marcus Fraser stated, “Thus far I have enjoyed the programme; I have some important lessons such as testing vitals and most of all, being confidential when it comes to the patient, which is very important.”

Osvena Chung said, “I have been working at the Palms for six years and I am hoping that this programme will help me improve my work ethics and show us what we are missing when caring for patients.”

Colene Deonarine stated, “I have been working at the Palms for six years and I hope that this training will teach me how to deal with mentally-ill patients because we have a lot to deal with. Caring for these persons is something that I like very much and I want to improve myself when caring of them.”