Region 1 health officials raise concerns with Minister during visit

…call on Govt to provide water transport, assist in travelling expenses

Regional health practitioners in Region One (Barima-Waini) are concerned about the lack of transportation in some communities to transport patients, particularly high-risk pregnant women, to and from health facilities in and out of their Region.

Health worker Mark Boyer recently complained to Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence during her recent visit to the Region that although high-risk pregnant women were usually transported to the Suddie Regional Hospital, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) in the Region’s boat, health workers were left to pay the expenses of returning to their villages.
“Normally, the Health [Ministry] does the transporting out, but most of patients have to do their own expenses to come back in. They ask why the health workers take them out there and they have to spend their monies to come back home? I am recommending that arrangements be made to bring them back.”
He stated that in addition to this, the Amerindian Hostel in Suddie was not in good condition to house pregnant women and was unsuitable for mothers who would have to stay there when they were visiting the hospital.
“A proper accommodation [must] be constructed there for the mothers. We need to take care of it,” he noted.
Meanwhile, in the Manawarin Village, there is a high “home delivery rate” coupled with the neonatal death rate being high among other pressing health issues that need to be addressed.
This matter was pointed out by Elene La Rose, a staff nurse and midwife attached to the Kumaka District Hospital, Region One.
“The Region has built a nurses’ duplex and a doctor and medex duplex there and there is a health post, but there are over 2000 residents in Manawarin. What we found is the high-risk mothers, it is like a culture that when we go, the husband as long as it is a male (staff to deliver a baby), they refuse for their wives to be examined by a male. We need more resources; we need a permanent doctor with midwife there…,” she stated.
Nurse La Rose further explained that Manawarin village was on the regional border between Region One and Region Two, but health care for residents was left solely in the hands of Region One.
“Part of Manawarin is in Region Two …That Region always promises to come on board, they promise to help us … but don’t really … they are more than us, plenty of resources and staff. Manawarin has no form of transportation too; there is need for a boat and engine in that area as well,” she added.
Several other nurses and health workers in various communities of Region One have also voiced their concern about the lack of boats with engines to shuttle sick persons and/or pregnant women to health facilities where they can obtain quality treatment.