The Cancer Institute of Guyana… A refreshing ray of hope in seemingly dark moments of reality

Feb 03, 2013 News

The Cancer Institute is located in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) compound, East and Lamaha Streets, Georgetown.

By Jenelle Willabus

George Nella

When one thinks or hears of cancer, more often than not that person automatically considers his/her or any other individual’s life becoming a living nightmare, or soon coming to an end. But this is not always the case, however, as once the disease is detected early and with the right treatment, there is that chance of a person with cancer surviving and moving forward with a normal existence.
In this country there is a facility that provides screening, treatment and support for persons with the disease. This facility, located in the compound of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, is the Cancer Institute of Guyana, which, although it has not been around for such a long time, is the only of its kind here, and for the past six years has been contributing significantly to the health sector.
The Cancer Institute came into existence via a collaborative effort between the Government of Guyana – through the Ministry of Health – and the Private Sector, in the form of Global Imaging Services Incorporated. The facility was established in 2006, however Global Imaging Services (GIS) Inc. has been in operation locally since 2003, but dealt primarily with computerised tomography (CT) scans and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and was also the only institution at the time providing services in diagnosing and treating cancer.
The then Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy saw the urgent need for cancer detection and treatment and approached officials from GIS Inc., with the aim of providing critical cancer treatment to Guyanese at a reduced cost. Hence the emergence of the Cancer Institute , the doors of which were opened to all Guyanese on June 6, 2006, as it began offering Oncology consultations, mammography, pap smears, chest x-rays, chemotherapy, external beam radiation therapy, intra-cavitary radiation therapy, CT scans and bone density scans.
Chief Executive of Global Imaging Services/Cancer Institute of Guyana., George Nella, explained that over the years the facility, through its staff, has been doing the best it can to combat the dreaded disease. Not only has there been diagnosis and treatment of Guyanese, but it has been found that persons from neighbouring countries have been taking advantage of the services offered. Nella said when he and his team were approached by Dr. Ramsammy with the idea of establishing the facility he (Nella) conceded that it would have been a good venture, since at the time there was no such facility in Guyana.
“Initially GIS Inc, was only about MRIs and CT scans, but back in the United States cancer diagnosis and treatment was our specialty, so we decided that yes, we can bring those services to Guyanese at a reduced cost through the collaboration with the Health Ministry.”
Once all the necessary components for the establishment of the facility were put in place, a building was readily made available. The Institute immediately began making treatment available as promised, at a reduced cost, to patients who came through the Ministry of Health.
Services are provided by a staff headed by a Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Narendra Bhalla, General Physicians, Oncology Nurses and Radiation Therapy Technicians.
Since its establishment, records show that the Cancer Institute has diagnosed numerous patients and has treated over 960 for Radiation Therapy. Of that total, 63 persons were treated with Intra-Cavitary Radiation Therapy. This is the type of treatment used for persons with cervical cancer.
It has been found that this form of the disease is the most common type diagnosed and treated at the Institute – followed by breast, lung, spine and on a lower level, skin cancer.
Cervical Cancer is a disease which attacks a woman’s cervix. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus. Cervical cancer affects most women over 30 years old. But like most types of cancer, once detected early and with the right type of treatment, there is a high chance of survival and a good quality of life.
The Cancer Institute provides screening for this type of cancer and others, and given that this is the cancer that is most prevalent, it is advised that women have pap smears done at least once a year.
One major issue the Institute is faced with is late detection.
“We have found that in many cases, by the time a patient gets to us they are in the third or fourth stage of their cancer, and there is very little we can do,” Mr. Nella stated.

The state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator (LINAC), which provides External Radiation Therapy.

To this end, he underscored the importance of routine medical checkups and the value of persons “getting to the bottom of their true illness”. He also stressed the need for doctors to be honest with their clients, and if they have reason to suspect that there is some indication that their illness is linked to cancer, to refer them to the Institute.
“We have had people come to us and they would tell you that ‘I had a surgery for the cancer’, but when we get down to treatment, we would find that a patient has been operated on but the cancer is still there… this should not be so.”
The Cancer Institute does not only focus on treatment but has managed to develop a support mechanism for patients. Mr. Nella admits that it is certainly not at the level they would want it to be, but he stated that plans are on stream to establish better systems in this regard.
“Telling a person they have cancer is nothing easy for our staff, neither is it easy for that person. So what we have done is train individuals who would provide some level of counseling for that person, to help them face the challenges ahead and adjust to their new lifestyle.”
Also, on a monthly basis, cancer patients are allowed to gather at the Institute where they interact, share their stories and lend support to others.
Mr. Nella said he would like to see a facility where terminally-ill cancer patients are allowed to come in their final days to rest and be counseled.
“This type of facility is available in many developed countries. It’s a kind of home where cancer patients go… for most terminally ill persons it is difficult for them to be around loved ones who sit and wait for the hour of death, so what we would like to do is get a place where persons can come and feel comforted. Of course it would be optional if they want to stay in or not.”
While this is a vision of the Institute, Nella said it is his hope that charitable organizations and members of the Private Sector will see this idea as one that is needed and will assist in making it a reality.
He said that, unfortunately, over the years he had found that there is not a very high level of cancer awareness among Guyanese, which is adding to the issue of late detection. But this is gradually changing.
“Since the Cancer Institute’s establishment there has been a much improved level of awareness but much more needs to be done. We have had outreach programmes targeting the Hinterland regions. During these outreaches, women were screened for cancer, while educational lectures were held with the aim of raising awareness. However, because of a shortage of resource personnel that campaign was scaled down significantly.”
Nonetheless, other avenues were explored with the aim of raising awareness. Some of these include collaboration with AVON during Breast Cancer Awareness month. This initiative, according to Mr. Nella, bore significant fruit, as together they were able to get the message across to women and families about the dangers of breast cancer, since the disease not only affects the patients but their families and loved ones.
“The Government through the Ministry of Heath has done a remarkable job when it comes to HIV/AIDS, but I don’t think enough focus is being placed on cancer. We at the institute can do but only so little, as the entire Guyana needs to know about this disease, so we would like to see the Government play a bigger role in raising awareness.”
As it relates to future plans, the Institute, with assistance from the Pan American Health Organization, is in the process of installing a state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator (LINAC), which provides External Radiation Therapy. This is expected to be up and running by mid-February, once the machine has been fully approved and commissioned by the Radiation Oncologist.
In the meantime, the Institute and its hard working staff remain committed to improving the health of communities it serves, and to this end, has pledged to work with willing agencies and physician groups to improve health awareness by way of education.