None of the medical hospitals in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) the region is staffed with a psychologist. The region has four hospitals, New Amsterdam, Port Mourant, Mibicuri, and Skeldon Hospitals.
Addressing the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on Thursday, Councillor Sharon Smith informed the RDC of the need for certain medical facilities to be staffed with certain professionals.
Region Six Chairman David Armogan and Regional Executive Officer, Navindra Persaud
According to Smith, if someone wants the services of a psychologist, they are referred to the National Psychiatric Hospital (NPH).
Even at that institution, a psychologist is seldom available. The NPH is staffed with at least one Psychiatrist daily.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in mental health, including substance use disorders. Psychiatrists are qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological problems. People seek psychiatric help for many reasons.
On the other hand, a psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how individuals relate to each other and their environments.
The main difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist is that psychiatrists are medical doctors who can prescribe medication, while psychologists focus on non-medical interventions.
Smith in questioning the reason for no psychologist being at any of the hospitals in the region, noted that persons in need of such services might not have the time to wait until such professionals are available before it is too late.
“There are some persons who are suicidal and need attention right away and they can’t get it. The distance from Port Mourant to New Amsterdam is a long time; they can stop at the Canje River and decide to jump over or walk into a moving vehicle.”
The Regional Chairman confirmed that there is no psychologist in the region.
“But why is that so; we have all these resources now?” Smith asked.
Armogan pointed out that many people are not qualifying themselves in the field.
“We have been depending on Georgetown to send a psychologist to the National Psychiatric Hospital every now and then.”
Psychologist stationed
Armogan, who chaired the Regional Health Board for more than a decade said as far as he can remember there has never been a psychologist stationed in Region Six.
“There has always been a psychiatrist working at the National Psychiatric Hospital but apart from that, there is no psychologist.
Armogan pointed out that it is a field that many persons are not getting qualified in.
Smith argued that just as the Health Ministry has been importing nurses to work at local hospitals, mental health professionals could also be imported by the Health Ministry.
“Mental health issues are on the rise,” she said while making mention is recent incidents of suicide in the region.
“We know the statistics, it is very high and that is not good.”
Meanwhile, also dealing with the lack of adequate medicals in the region, Smith said that there is a shortage of pediatricians.
She said she visited more than one hospital within the region seeking a pediatrician and was told that none were available.
Apart from that she pointed out that there is also a dire need for social workers at medical facilities within the region.
“How are we going to get help; the average person who can’t afford to go to a private facility? Why is it that we don’t have these persons at our public hospitals?” she inquired.
Based on her experience, Smith who is herself a social worker, pointed out that persons who are at one of the medical hospitals within the region and are in need of a social worker will have to wait until contact is made with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security for someone to the sent to meet with the patient.
“Why is it that we don’t have these persons at our hospitals? It is unacceptable. We have so many persons graduating every year from the University of Guyana with Social Work why is it that the Port Mourant Hospital for example doesn’t have a social worker?” she enquired.
According to the University of Guyana, Faculty of Social Sciences website, in 2023, twenty-four persons graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science, three with Masters and one with an associate degree in social work.
The Regional Chairman noted that there is a pediatrician stationed at the New Amsterdam Hospital.
“But the outlying hospitals like Mibicuri and Port Mourant, they don’t have specialists. The specialist normally goes to those hospitals on specific days of the week.
“We probably need to advance to another stage whereby we can be able to get specialists at all of these hospitals. It would take some time because these people would have to be brought in from overseas. We do not have enough Guyanese who are qualifying themselves in specific areas that can now come back to work in these hospitals. The specialists that we have in this region are all at the New Amsterdam Hospital,” Armogan explained. (G4)
