Language barrier plagues healthcare delivery – CMO

CMO, Dr Shamdeo Persaud
CMO, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

The inability of patients to understand what doctors are saying has been a burning issue for many patients in hospitals, especially at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, on the East Bank of Demerara.

Not only are patients worried that they cannot understand the foreign doctors, nor hear pass their accents, they are concerned that they might be given wrong treatment.

This concern was raised by a number of persons who voiced their disapproval of the ongoing issue of comprehension and understanding foreign doctors at public hospitals.

“I went to the Georgetown Public Hospital and it had a doctor from Nigeria and I had to ask her five times “what you said” this shouldn’t be… this is a serious problem. Sometimes they understand us but they can’t talk it,” one man told  Guyana Times.

Another concerned individual, Michael Graham, stated that he visited the Diamond Diagnostic Centre complaining of chest pains and the doctor, during consultation, asked him if his head hurts. Others echoed the same sentiments, while calling for proper systems to be put in place to ensure that the foreign doctors are fluent in English.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud, indicated that this is an ongoing challenge the Public Health Ministry faces and one that has been addressed at the level of the Medical Council on several occasions.

“What we are requiring now is that all the brigades must be proficient in the English language… must be able to write, listen and respond in English,” he said, explaining that all three areas of language competence must be assessed before the Medical Council licences them to practice.

He stated that this procedure has commenced with the Cuban doctors within the past year. He noted that previously “casual assessments” would be carried on the perspective doctors to determine if they could speak English.

Persaud said too that decades ago, Guyana had an influx of highly trained, senior levels of foreign doctors, but recently they are seeing “all types of doctors entering the country” thus it imperative that there is a more rigid assessment of language and communication.

Former President of the Medical Council of Guyana, Dr Vivienne Mitchell-Amata, had stated that 90 per cent of diagnosis is done during consultation and if there is a communication barrier then there is a problem making the diagnosis. She stated also that if the doctor is really an expert who is badly needed in Guyana and they cannot speak English, then they must come with an interpreter who has to be with them at all times while on duty.

Persaud, nonetheless, stated that the Medical Council has been working together with the brigades to address the problem. “We are hoping that they work alone with a local junior doctor or nurse,” he said.

He emphasised that the Ministry is pushing to ensure that there is quality health care in all regions and so he is appealing to the public that if they do not understand what a doctor is saying, especially if it’s a doctor that does not speak fluent English, then they should not be afraid to ask questions about their treatment.

“If you are wondering if the correct information is received or the correct diagnosis is given then you have a right to ask questions,” he said, adding that they have drafted a patient charter and is hopeful that the Minister will approve.

Most of the foreign doctors in Guyana are from Cuba, India, Nigeria and China.