Georgetown, GINA, January 8, 2015 Source
Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton in conversation with Regional Executive Officer, Region Three, Denis Jaikaran and other officials
The Ministry of Public Health continues to assess health care facilities countrywide in an effort to improve conditions of work and services offered to the people. Public Health Minister Dr. George Norton during his tour of the Leonora cottage Hospital today, reaffirmed the Government's commitment to overall improvement in health care delivery.
During the Minister’s visit, specific emphasis was placed on an abandoned obstetricsward which is expected to get more human resources to enhance the effectiveness of health care and treatment offered at the facility.Since its opening in 2008, the ward has seen a handful of deliveries.
Savitri Chandrabose a staff nurse attested that the reason for this was the lack of staff, more specifically midwives and specialists. This is an area which the Minister has committed to addressing.
In 2008 the hospital had an Obstetrician Gynaecologist and that contributed to the hospital conducting a few deliveries. Since that time the ward had stopped functioning. Dr. Norton’s visit to the institution today was to look specifically into the matter.
Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton and staff of the Leonora hospital, Region Three
The medical staff at the institution expressed to the Minister their desire to see the ward up and running and having babies delivered.
Chandrabose recalled having lots of patients there for delivery in 1996. Currently she is the only midwife working there.
Over the years, there have been complaints of maternal deaths, due to the fact that mothers had to travel all the way to city and would arrive too late for surgery.
Dr. Foo, the senior GMO said that equipping the hospital with the much needed staffwill not only serve Leonora, but all the communities around the area, Parika and the islands up to West Demerara. In order to improve maternal health, the health centers must be working first of all.
Thus the complicated cases can come early at the hospital and the distance would be shorter.They also expressed the need for a theatre.
Dr. Norton explained that the ministry is vigorously striving to improve the physical, social and mental health status of all Guyanese in all regions.
Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton and staff in a meeting
Only recently in an interview with GINA, Dr. Norton in outlining plans for 2016 stated that the Government is working aggressively to repair a broken health care system, and he is personally committed to ensuring that Guyanese have greater access to the health care services in every part of Guyana.