Latest update February 10th, 2025 2:25 PM
GPHC doctors benefit from renal failure consultancy
Doctors at Guyana’s premiere medical institution, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), have been benefiting from crucial consultancy in the area of renal failure.
This move comes ahead of plans to re-introduce kidney transplant operations at the facility.
Dr Azim Gangji
Visiting Nephrologist, Dr Azim Gangji, of the McMaster Medical Centre in Canada just last week met some of the GPHC physicians during which time he was able to share his expert knowledge on addressing renal failure.
“We went over a number of difficult cases that they had and we were doing this mainly because there is no kidney doctor there right now. So it was kind of nice to act the part of consultant to them,” Dr Gangji said during an interview.
He said, too, that while physicians have been the main target for his consultancy efforts, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers must also be included in the edification process as they all are required to address patients’ concerns at some point.
With health officials furnished with the relevant information to deal with the various dimensions of renal failure, Dr Gangji explained that the next step is to introduce a patient education programme.
Such a move has already been introduced at the Annandale, East Coast Demerara, Doobay Renal Centre to which Dr Gangji is affiliated. He added that plans to introduce such a programme are already being discussed at the GPHC.
According to him, “patient education is a big thing. They can learn about diabetes and blood pressure management, as well as the importance of exercise and diet.”
Of recent, officials of GPHC and the Doobay Renal Centre have been intently engaged in discussions to streamline kidney transplant operations that are slated to commence next year.
In addition to providing training for officials of the public hospital, nephrologists attached to the McMaster Medical Centre will also bring to Guyana technology to aid the proposed operations.
However, the GPHC, according to Dr Gangji, will be providing additional equipment to furnish a recently installed dialysis unit. The Unit has already received some level of support from the Doobay Centre in the form of dialysis machines, the requisite water system; several nurses have also been trained in the area of transplant operation through this alliance.
The actual operations will, however, be undertaken by a seasoned team of medical officials inclusive of nephrologists from the McMaster Medical Centre, who will also offer some financial assistance to the programme as well.
Dr Gangji said too that a number of Canadian pharmaceutical companies will help sponsor the cost of the operations.
“This is a completely voluntary service and there are actually several physicians who will be coming across here. We are quite keen to do this but we also want to advance the care of kidney patients and we think this is a great contribution and a great way to do things too…this is why we are in the profession in the first place,” he added.
He also disclosed plans to train local doctors to eventually spearhead kidney transplant operations, essentially making the GPHC independent in this regard.
Describing the collaborative move as a very feasible venture, Dr Gangji also amplified that its public-private partnership nature will see the Guyanese public benefiting from free kidney transplant operations. At the moment kidney transplant operations, spearheaded by Kidney Surgeon, Dr Rahul Jindal, of the Walter Reed Medical Centre, are available at a cost at the privately-run Balwant Singh Hospital.
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