Health care services in Imbaimadai almost non-existent

Jul 18, 2012 News

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By Abena Rockcliffe
With a population of just over 500 persons, Imbaimadai only has two health care workers, and those who reside in the community are calling on the Ministry of Health to put better facilities in place.
Kaieteur News understands that recently, a three-month-old boy identified as Shawn Grant, succumbed to Malaria, as not much could have been done to save his life with the limited medication available there.
The Head Community Health Worker (CHW), Rynette Austin, has been advised to send “serious” patients to Kamarang, which is a relatively lengthy journey by boat from Imbaimadai.
However, although this is the advised procedure, there is no boat allocated to transfer patients to Kamarang – it is dependent upon the availability of privately-owned boats.
Even though the infant died, no better system has been put in place, as the CHWs there have no direct communication with the Ministry of Health.
Further, according to Austin, the health post hadn’t received any drugs for the entire year of 2011, despite constant requisitions sent to Kamarang.
Even so, this year, after drugs were sent, Austin said that some were expired.
Austin revealed that 5-6 persons visit the health care daily with symptoms of malaria. She said that the health post only has two drugs to treat the ailment – Quinine and Coartem. However, the Quinine usually has adverse effects, so they try to use Coartem which has fewer side effects. “The Coartem is supplied on a very small scale, even less than the Quinine.”
Austin said that sometimes patients show signs of malaria, but it may not be so “we have no way of knowing, we prescribe only by symptoms”.
Further, Austin revealed that over the 27 years she has been working at that location, she witnessed numerous deaths resulting from snake bites.  She recalled that there were at least three deaths last year. The woman said that all that is available to treat snake bites at the health facility is antibiotics.

She said that it is heart-rending to witness someone’s life leaving their body and there is nothing that could be done to save him or her.
Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran, recently told Kaieteur News that his Ministry has distributed Especifico – a Brazilian drug used in the treatment of snake bites – to most health centres.
However, he also said that the drug is not distributed in the mining areas because “serious” snake bites are referred to Georgetown Hospital. He claimed that snake bites in the interior are rare and minimum deaths are recorded.
Kaieteur News understands that four persons died last year at Imbaimadai alone.
As if the list of health issues was never-ending, Rynette Austin then showed the table she uses to deliver babies – a narrow, rusty iron table covered with a table cloth.
The other CHW, Merilyn Austin, said that over a year ago, she requisitioned a mattress that would be placed on the table, but to date none has been approved.
“Even the one mattress we have was donated,” Merilyn Austin lamented.
She said that women who have maternal complications also have to be referred to Kamarang. “Pregnant women have to travel 3-4 hours on water to go to Kamarang. Also, the foot journey to get to a boat is quite steep.”
This situation does not only apply to the miners who reside there, but also for the Amerindians who live on the “reserve”. “We do the best we can with the little we have. The people in this community are mostly miners and Amerindians…the bottom line is we are people at the end of the day.”
“Not even condoms we don’t get adequately and people come steady to see if we get.”
The CHW said that she is highly concerned about the lack of condoms in the community.  According to her, the miners who are from Georgetown can get access to condoms, but there are indigenous persons who never left the community and therefore “they won’t have access to condoms other than from this health post.”
Merilyn Austin said that as recent as a month ago she had indicated via requisition for condoms “up to now we can’t get it.”
Although tasked with 24hrs on-call, and the only health care representatives in the community, the two nurses are not satisfied with their salaries.
The women said that one pound of chicken varies between $800- $1000 and one pint of rice costs $300 “with those prices we cannot survive on $ 48,000 a month.”
At a meeting with Guyana Women Miners Organization (GWMO) the residents came to a consensus that the Health Post “needs” to be transformed into a health centre which will mean better facilities, adequate drugs and direct communication with the Ministry of Health. The residents indicated that this is the first time the village had been visited by any organization of that sort.
“This is the first time we ever see media too.”

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