Poor patient care can now impact workers’ gratuity, promotions – Pres Ali

…as Govt to launch integrated service hubs

President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that health facility workers who deliver poor services face consequences.
“At every one of these new facilities, the new hospitals, we’re going to put a customer service desk where patients can report to if they experience bad service. And that report goes up into the system and would influence the payment of the payment of gratuity, it would influence promotions, and it would influence the way in which disciplinary measures would be applied in the public service,” the President announced during a press conference on Friday, on the conclusion of a two-day Cabinet outreach to Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
These customer service desks, he explained, will be integrated into the service delivery platform of the Government.

Integrated service hubs
As part of the national digitisation agenda, the Government will be establishing three integrated services hubs in Region Six, an initiative that is expected to be replicated in other regions.
These hubs will include “all the services for immigration, for GRA, licensing, and importantly, connecting the NDCs with these hubs, the regions with these hubs, and then integrating into the national hub so that each of these facilities will have a help desk,” the President explained.
“And that desk will allow citizens to connect directly with every layer of Government,” he added, noting that the intention is to focus on a people-centred approach to development.
“No issue must be allowed to escape the loop of Government. So, we’re closing that loop in a very comprehensive and integrated way,” the President emphasised.
Among other things, these hubs will deal with immigration services, passport applications and renewals, and registration of births, deaths, and marriages, as well as licensing, electronic ID services, and a range of other Government transactions.

Healthcare in Region Six
Meanwhile, the Head of State spoke of plans to improve healthcare in the region, reminding that “we’re looking to complete the New Amsterdam Hospital, which is going to be a Level Five, the highest-level hospital; the completion of the state-of-the-art nursing school; multipurpose training facility…”
In this regard, he encouraged young persons in the region to seize the opportunities that will become available. “We want all our young people who want to be nurses to register on the programme and to get trained right here in your region,” the President said.
He also noted that the Government will be making investments to bring greater efficiency to the drug distribution centre and to supply chain management.

Dialysis care
The President also spoke about one of the most pressing health issues affecting citizens – which is the need for dialysis care.
It was recently revealed that more than 600 persons are currently on dialysis treatment.
In this regard, President Ali announced plans to expand dialysis care in the region, while simultaneously emphasising the need to invest in preventative measures.
“We’re concerned…about the numbers in this region in relation to diabetes and also persons who require dialysis. And the Ministry of Health will be expanding the dialysis facilities at the various hospital and clinics,” he said.
“But we don’t want this to be the solution; we have to invest to ensure we prevent you from reaching to the stage of dialysis, and the Ministry of Health will be rolling out specific measures to deal with this issue at the grassroot level, here in this region,” he added.