Lack of equipment cited as gap in neonatal care

Nov 28, 2011 News

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– Dr Singh

Although there has been a noticeable decrease in Guyana’s infant mortality rate, there is a dire need for the infiltration of sophisticated machines in the health care system.  This assertion has been made by Canada based Paediatrician, Dr. Narendra Singh. However, during an interview, he revealed that efforts are being made to address this problem with the support of medical groups operating in Toronto.  “We have been working closely with the Chief Executive Officer (of the Georgetown Public Hospital), Mr. Michael Khan and the hospital’s Chief of Paediatrics to try and get them that sophisticated set of equipment.”
Dr. Singh pointed out that while the hospital has been doing an excellent job when it comes to basic neonatal care, there yet remains a gap when the equipment being utilised is considered.  However, the provision of needful equipment must go hand in hand with the relevant training, Dr. Singh stressed. He disclosed that “as we speak, I have a respiratory therapist from Sick Kids (in Toronto) who donated some machines and is setting them up and training the doctors and nurses to use them as well.”
“It is a step wise thing; everything cannot be fixed over night and I am glad to say that the efforts we are putting in from Canada have been embraced by the organization and I think it has been a really good working relationship,” Dr. Singh observed.

His remarks were forthcoming even as he alluded to progress that is being made in the recently introduced Masters in Paediatric Programme, to which he has been assigned External Director. The programme, which is being offered by the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Institute of Health Science, was designed with a view of improving the delivery of paediatric care, and by extension, serve to reduce the infant mortality rate.
The deaths of some 250 babies under the age of five were recorded by the local health system last year, which represents an infant mortality rate of 20 per 1,000.  However, this statistic has been regarded as a drastic improvement by Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, who passionately asserted recently that in 1992 the recorded death rate of babies under five was a whopping 2,643, reflective of a mortality rate of 120 per 1,000.
In an attempt to further reduce the infant mortality rate, the ambitious Masters in Paediatric programme was introduced. The programme is being facilitated by overseas based faculty and according to Dr. Singh, the curriculum was not developed in isolation of Guyana. He explained that “we developed the curriculum in collaboration with the people here and as we started to work to develop the curriculum, we had dialogue with the relevant officials ….”
This, he said, was essential, since there is a fairly different spectrum of children seen abroad when compared to Guyana, even as he deduced that in Guyana there are more tropical disease types.
He noted that while the diseases that affect infants here range from respiratory to gastrointestinal, the secondary ailments that develop are in fact very high. However, he remains of the view that the care provided here is as good as anywhere else in the world, adding that the issue that requires paramount attention is that of the existing gap when it comes to the availability of equipment.
Dr. Singh is of the firm view that improving neonatal care is a key element in helping to reduce infant mortality. His view was amplified recently when he made a presentation at the Georgetown Public Hospital Scientific conference recently. He pointed out though that Guyana has been able to do a phenomenal job in reducing the under-five mortality rate, a development he attributes to policies the government has implemented over the years. “They have done an unbelievable job in bringing down the under-five mortality (rate), and because they have done such a good job with the basic illnesses, now things are starting to balloon relatively.” However, Dr. Singh pointed out that in order for things to continue to improve, there is need for earnest focus in the neonatal area which requires technical skills and comprehensive knowledge in the field, a juncture he is confident Guyana has reached.
It is the view of Dr. Singh that while improvement has been observed at the GPHC, it must not be limited to that facility but must rather be expanded to New Amsterdam, West Demerara, Suddie and all of the other health facilities across the country.
And with the training being delivered through the Masters in Paediatric Programme, it is expected that those already operating in the system will help to bolster neonatal care.  There are reportedly only two certified paediatricians in Guyana, a state of affairs which suggest the need for more experts to be trained to help improve the delivery of service, Dr. Singh noted.  “When you look at what we have here per capita, we need more paediatricians in the system and the onus is to increase the complement of paediatricians.”

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