Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Additional support could reduce cost of services at CHI
Although the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) currently offers its services at a subsidised rate given its collaboration with Government, there is yet a possibility that cost could be further reduced.
At least, this is according to Chief Executive Officer of CHI, Dr Gary Stephens. And this development, he said, could become possible if support is forthcoming from both private and public organisations.
Dr Gary Stephens
CHI was commissioned in October 2006 and came as part of a public-private partnership aimed at improving the medical services that are offered locally.
The initiative would mark the first of its kind to be introduced in these parts, whereby a private driven entity (CHI) was able to collaborate with Government to offer crucial cardiac operations at a reduced cost.
CHI is accommodated within the compound of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, but according to Dr Stephens, there are still exorbitant costs that the entity must face in order to sustain its operation.
“We do get some support but we would love to have some more if we are to reduce costs further. One of the things I think we have to realise is that Government has more than just open-heart surgery to think about. So we have to wait in line like everybody else.”
According to the United States-based Cardiac Surgeon, “We have enjoyed a significant amount of support over the years but I guess like everything else we are never satisfied.”
It is for this reason, he noted, that CHI is lobbying for more support from both the public and private sectors in the quest to serve a population that can ill-afford to meet the current costs, although at a subsidised rate.
“People here don’t have insurance and they have a serious problem so in a lot of ways we see our self as a safety net hospital out there whose job is to reach out to the section of the population that really can’t afford the normal costs for these kinds of services we offer.”
Operating as a safety net facility, Dr Stephens revealed that the only effective way to decrease costs is to solicit support from various organisations in the form of grants to eliminate some of the fixed costs that the entity incurs.
“If they can perhaps stand the costs associated with a certain machine, that would help us a great deal. For example, if we were to get a new Cath Lab that cost about $1M it means that every Cardiac Cath we do we would have to put a portion of that money towards repaying that million dollars.
“But if we have a grant we can decrease the cost of a Cardiac Cath because then all we will be doing is to try to make back the cost of the Cath and secure a little bit to keep us in business.”
However, if there is no need to repay the expense that a Cath Lab would incur, the current cost of the catheterisation procedure could be reduced substantially even by half if possible, Dr Stephens added.
According to Dr Stephens, it is clear that Guyana does not have a robust economy “so if people who can step up and say we are willing to give a hand we will accept because we are not a profit driven entity.”
And as part of the effort to reduce spending at CHI, Dr Stephens has been deprived of a salary even after four years of operation. “I am still coming to Guyana to do surgery for free after all this time…I am glad to offer this service but the more support we get, the more affordable the service will be.”
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Fastest growing economy and an empty stadium
…Peeping Tom Kaieteur News- It’s a classic Guyanese tale, really. You live in the fastest growing economy in the... more
Rising Gun Crimes in the Caribbean: Urgent Action required by all
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – There is an alarming surge in gun-related violence, particularly among younger... more
Weekend Cartoon
