Latest update February 9th, 2025 1:59 PM
Latest News
- Gunmen rob money changer at America Street
- Couple dies in fire at Hydronie, EBE
- “Oil-rich Guyana is worse off from the very start”- Glenn Lall
- Terrence Campbell to remain member of oil money Investment Committee despite transparency concerns in use of revenues
- Trump freezes aid to South Africa amid spat over land expropriation law
CHI likely to attract clients through ads
Dr Gary Stephens
In order to make its service more accessible to the general public, the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) is currently streamlining some innovative plans. Chief Executive Officer of CHI, Dr Gary Stephens, revealed that although more persons are utilising the services offered, there is still need for information to be disseminated about the heart institute.
“We have been getting a fairly good response, patients have been coming. But part of the reason for limited awareness about CHI may be our fault because we have not advertised. I must confess that I am surprised when people say I have never heard about CHI…I was of the view that we have been out there in the press.”
Dr Stephens noted that the need exists for CHI to find a way of being on a more constant basis in the eye of the press, effectively changing its current mode of exposure.
“We are going to try and make some effort to let people know that a service is available because we have come to realise that many people do not know of the types of services we offer here.”
According to Dr Stephens, among the plans being put in place is the change of CHI’s telephone number which could be more memorable to clients. “Whether you survive a heart attack depends on the time you are able to present to the hospital. We would like to get a simple number so you don’t have to think much like a taxi service.”
Dr Stephens pointed to the fact that in Guyana there is the unique problem of the population being relatively small and spread along the coast, thus, the need for CHI to set up satellites in areas such as the Corentyne.
But although the heart facility has not been advertised, it yet has a growing waiting list, according to Dr Stephens.
In an earlier interview with this newspaper, Dr Stephens had disclosed that more than 30 persons are waiting to be afforded cardiac operations.
However, he had alluded to the fact that there appears to be some lack of confidence in the Institute.
“There is something in our society, it is almost like people don’t have confidence in what we do…I look at myself and I think I work in the United States and I think I went to some decent schools and when I give an opinion I don’t care where you are, in my line of work if I tell you ‘you are not a candidate for surgery’ I believe that the majority of centres that you go to will tell you the same thing.”
However, the cardiac surgeon opined that there are a number of instances that even after receiving an opinion from CHI, some local persons would still opt to travel to Trinidad and Barbados or further afield, and even to medical persons who are less trained, to be told they are not a candidate for surgery. “That is frustration of itself. It drives me nuts.”
Dr Stephens noted that even after three years of operating in Guyana he finds it strange that many persons are still oblivious of CHI’s existence.
According to him, he has been informed on a number of occasions that persons have had heart attacks and died because their families were not aware of the capabilities of the CHI.
“I am not sure why people don’t know about us, probably because we don’t advertise but we had purposely chosen not to advertise because we don’t think the system can handle that.
We always thought that the people who really need us would find us but that hasn’t always been the case, some people who don’t even really need us they find us.”
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
You cannot borrow your way to prosperity
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News-The Jagdeo Doctrine is an absurd, reckless, and fundamentally shortsighted economic fallacy.... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
