Test results going to Minister before doctors endangering lives – Dr Frank Anthony

…another person tests positive for COVID-19
…Guyana figure now stands at 24

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to climb in Guyana, with the figure now at 24.

This was confirmed by caretaker Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, on Saturday evening.
While the number of confirmed cases jumped one place up from Friday’s update, Guyana’s COVID-19 deaths remain the same. Since its first coronavirus death on March 11, the country has recorded three more deaths – all within the past week.
With Guyana’s COVID-19 cases doubling last week, concerns have been raised over some of the procedures and bureaucracies in place when it comes to testing for the deadly virus.
On Saturday, it was revealed that when the COVID-19 tests are conducted, the results are first sent to caretaker Minister Lawrence and agency heads before being handed over to the doctors. This was confirmed by Lawrence when contacted on Saturday evening.
But according to Dr Frank Anthony, a former shadow Health Minister, this situation is not only endangering the lives of patients but also putting medical staff at risk.
During the time when the results go to the Minister, he noted, sometimes hours and even days passed before it is passed on to the doctors, who are unable to properly treat the patients in that period.
“It is important that the doctor treating these patients get these results at the earliest time possible because if someone is COVID-positive then you have to take a lot of precautions when you’re around that patient. It means you have to wear on your personal protection equipment – things like masks, gloves and so on. But if they don’t enough then many of these doctors and nurses are probably taking to these patients and handling them without any protective gears,” he explained.
According to Dr Anthony, it makes a big difference when the medical staff knows about the status of the patients they are dealing with. This, he noted, will not only allow them to take extra precautions in terms of infection control but also give them an idea as to how to administer treatment to those patients.
“In some cases, these patients cannot be treated like those with an ordinary cold or cough. But they will need particular treatment and not knowing [the status of patients] would delay the treatment of the patients and endanger their lives. So the Minister must not interject herself in this process,” he asserted.
Dr Anthony pointed out that the Minister is not a doctor and as such, she should not insert herself into that process that endangers people’s lives and delays critical treatment.
“The way it is being done now compromises the relationship between doctors and patients and they should stop that immediately…”

Bureaucracy
However even before these tests are conducted, Dr Anthony noted another issue that the doctors are complaining about is the fact that when samples are taken to the laboratory to get tested, a request first has to be made to the Minister’s office on whether or not to conduct the test. He said it is only when or if that permission is granted then the test is done.
“My sources are telling me that when permission is granted, the lab would do the test and they cannot send it to the doctors who requested it. They now have to send the results back to the Minister’s office and then she will decide at which point or at what time the results will be released to the doctors,” he stated.
Moreover, Dr Anthony – who is one of the key stakeholders in the National COVID-19 Response Forum that was established by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to tackle the spread of the deadly virus – further contended that the process dealing with who gets the test, that is, the criteria for testing, is flawed.
“They are waiting until people are very symptomatic and then conducting the tests,” he posited, while adding “There are many more people who need the test and cannot get access. So we have to ensure that more people get access.”
Guyana’s testing kits were increased to 1800 after the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) donated some 1100 testing kits along with some other equipment to aid in the country’s fight against the novel coronavirus.
However, Dr Anthony pointed out that these COVID-19 tests are not widely available for those who may be in need such as those hospitals in rural areas and the hinterland.
He noted that it is still unclear what systems are in place for hospitals in the hinterland regions, for example, if they have a case or suspected case, to conduct the test.
“They said they’re sending out kits to these places for them to take samples but many of these hospitals apparently have not received these kits… We’re not sure what is happening and the general public is not sure. This disease is no longer confined to Region Four, we’ve had a patient from Region Six and another one from Region Three. So it seems that the disease is in different parts of our country but unfortunately, there don’t seems to be a capacity to be able to test or the Ministry has not put the necessary mechanisms in place to allow people to get tested at the various regions,” he stated.
Only recently, PAHO/WHO estimated that Guyana is likely to record some 20,000 cases of COVID-19.