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Floods taking toll on Health Ministry’s coffers – Dr Ramsammy

Jan 07, 2009 News

The Health Ministry’s extensive response to flooding caused by the near incessant rainfall over the last two months is significantly depleting its coffers.
As of the end of this month, Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy estimates that his Ministry would have spent approximately $120M.
Some 3,500 persons, mostly in the affected geographical Regions of Three, Four and Five, have so far been treated.
Most of the conditions dealt with are acute respiratory infections, skin rashes, coughs and colds, and diarrhea.
And doctors are keeping a close watch on a family of five on the East Coast of Demerara who are all experiencing bloody diarrhea.
Another five persons suspected to have Leptospirosis are also being monitored.
Two of these cases have already been confirmed and the Ministry is awaiting verification of the others.
There had been sporadic cases of the disease during last year and seven confirmed deaths.
Meanwhile, the distribution of doxycycline to neighbours and family members of persons suspected to be suffering from Leptospirosis has begun.
The antibiotic prophylactic is also available at health centres to anyone who believes he or she is at risk.
However, unlike during the 2005 flood, there is not going to be a widespread distribution anytime soon of the prophylactic since the Health Ministry is taking seriously the lessons learnt during the flooding disaster three years ago.
According to Dr Ramsammy, it’s a case of ‘weighing the risks versus the benefits’.
“We have stockpiled enough of the drug to last until 2010 and we have a number of agencies at hand to provide the human resources, so why have we not begun to distribute it?
Well, there is no evidence that mass doxycycline is necessary at this point…all antibiotics have risks and unless it is absolutely necessary we will not be wantonly dispensing it.”
Highlighting the risks of women using antibiotics which make them more vulnerable to certain types of opportunistic infections, Dr Ramsammy said that after the 2005 flood, the country saw heightened incidences of a number of sexually transmitted infections including Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), Chlamydia and Candidiasis.
“ Putting people at risk in this kind of manner does not make sense…The huge number of persons that were becoming infected during the 2005 flood decided that the benefits outweighed the risks…We don’t yet have that urgent need this time around.”
The Minister, however, lamented the fact that residents in the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary areas are not responding as expected to the health teams in those areas.
He noted that persons seem to believe that once they have their supplies of bleach and Jeyes fluid they are fine.
“So it means that the health workers will have to work a little harder and do house to house visits in those areas.”
And in the wake of the massive inundation at Dochfour on the East Coast of Demerara, permanent health teams have been placed there.
A bed net distribution exercise in affected areas is also scheduled to begin next week.
The programme will target families with babies under six months old.

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