Home News TAU’s 4th International Conference for Communicable Diseases: Findings will play crucial role...
With an aim to contribute meaningfully towards the elimination of communicable diseases in Guyana, Texila American University (TAU) held its fourth International Conference for Communicable Diseases on Tuesday.
The conference provided the platform for discussions on the evolution of communicable diseases, and explored advancements in healthcare technology and research.
It also allowed participants to learn and explore various aspects of infectious diseases, and gain crucial information about communicable diseases and their impacts on healthcare.
This includes the elimination of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other cardiovascular diseases by 2030.
During brief remarks, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony lauded the conference, noting that it’s ‘revolutionary’ and contributes significantly to medical students’ education.
“The environment is providing opportunities for people who want to learn, for people who want to do research. So, with more conferences, the persons who are doing research will have the opportunity to present their findings. Earlier, we were talking about getting a journal. So, we would also have opportunities of publishing, which is very important, because it you wanna pursue an academic career, it’s important that you publish as well,” the minister said.
Anthony added that the conference’s findings would play a crucial role in addressing communicable diseases at the primary healthcare level. In this regard, he pledged to collaborate with the university to further elevate the country’s healthcare standards. However, in the meantime, Government will continue to address the issue in a holistic manner.
“The strength of the Ministry has really been in communicable diseases. Over the years, that has been pretty much the focus of the Ministry. In some cases, we have been able to achieve some successes, but at this point, we don’t want to roll back… What we are looking for is the elimination of some of these diseases,” Minister Anthony explained.
“We have invested a lot of resources, both in training people, in developing infrastructure, in adding equipment, and also in connectivity. So, another area you will see a lot of work going on in is digital health. You’ll see a lot of that happening from next year,” he promised.
The conference, themed ‘Communicable Diseases in the Caribbean, Regional Update and Recent Advancement’, concludes today.
Expansion
Government have made significant strides to introduce, implement and expand clinical services and best practices in hospitals here. During a press conference on July 13, President Dr. Irfaan Ali disclosed that Guyana’s life expectancy is 70 years, compared to 68 in 2020, and the goal is to increase this number to 72 years by 2026, and to 75 by 2030.
The Head of State noted that achieving the above would require Guyana to expand and make available moderate and complex clinical services, in which Government have invested heavily.
Reflecting on some of the projects, the President shared that Guyana now has 19 health posts providing telemedicine services to citizens, while radiology and imaging technology are available at hospitals in all ten administrative regions.
He added that oxygen plants are being set up in all hinterland hospitals to provide oxygen therapy and remove dependency on oxygen cylinders.
President Ali added that medicine supply without disruption is another key area of accomplishment, given that medicine availability in Guyana was 35 percent in 2020. However, this number has increased to 85 percent, and is expected to reach 95 to 100% by the end of 2023.
Health infrastructure
Meanwhile, President Ali said the transformation of the physical infrastructure in Guyana’s healthcare system is paramount, and it is in recognizing its importance that the regional health budgets have more than doubled in less than three years.
The build-out of health infrastructure countrywide is well underway, including the construction of new hospitals and rehabilitation of all existing facilities.
During the July 13 press conference, the Head of State highlighted some of the projects to come on stream; including the reconstruction of the Bartica Hospital, which will begin at the end 2023 and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.
Additionally, plans are underway to develop the National Psychiatric Hospital, reconstruct West Demerara Regional Hospital, and upgrade Suddie, Port Mourant, Mahaicony, and other hospitals.
Further, all existing hinterland hospitals outside of Mabaruma, Port Kaituma, Mahdia, Paramakatoi, Annai and Kwakwani are scheduled for major upgrade between 2024 to 2026.
President Ali said Government is working to expand Guyana’s human resource and infrastructure simultaneously. In this regard, he noted that robust training is being provided to doctors and nurses, while current professional training programmes are being expanded to accommodate more individuals.
Training
Under the guidance of the People Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Guyana has fostered many international partnerships and facilitated advanced training for health practitioners. Scores of doctors are currently completing fellowships aboard with Mount Sinai, McMaster University and Northwell Health. The said fellowship provides the opportunity for doctors to learn new clinical skills and understand how international institutions function, so Guyana can adopt new medical techniques and best practices.
Additionally, Government is exploring new international training opportunities for nurses and midwives.
