Over 400 doctors to be added to health system

Jan 07, 2013 News

– Health Minister

Tackling the issue of providing adequate health care providers was a massive task in 2012. Having to train those staffers was an even bigger task, but Health Minister Bheri Ramsarran said that his Ministry was successful in both areas.
He noted that like the major investments made in the building and upgrade of at least 10 medical facilities, large sums of money have been invested in the provision of health care workers and their training. The government, through the Health Ministry, has paved the way for medical students to attain foreign training and education in the area of health care.

Health Minister Bheri Ramsarran

“Not only have we built hospitals and equipped them, we have seen to it that the workforce is drastically increased.”
Ramsarran said that over the past five years, the Ministry has trained a significantly large number of nurses. But for last year, in particular, training has been extended to see an increase in midwives, X-ray technicians, medical laboratory technicians among other skilled workers.
Coupled with this workforce extension, greater focus was placed last year on doctors and, according to Ramsarran, with the assistance of countries like Cuba, a large group of graduate doctors are now expected to be available soon. He highlighted that, “just fewer than 200 of those graduate doctors have returned to Guyana and are in various stages of preparation for dispersal in the health care system.”
While in the past, some locations only had a medex available, Ramsarran said, he can now afford to deploy more than one doctor if necessary.
“All sub-districts have their own doctor now and they have visitations from teams coming from Georgetown.”
Added to those already home, Ramsarran said that another 200 doctors are in their final stage of preparation in Cuba and will be coming home within a short period of time. The Minister reminded that in 2006, it was former President Bharrat Jagdeo who had led a small team to Cuba, when President Fidel Castro created a special Faculty of Medicine for Guyanese students.
Because of this move to expand the workforce, Ramsarran boasted that there are now doctors, “Available at practically all hospitals, every small hospital and even at health centres where we did not have before.”
In connection to training and the availability of health care education, the Minister highlighted the “Introduction of post graduate programs which is so far based at the Georgetown Public Hospital as the clinical base.”
Although the program is attracting a small number of participants, the Health Minister, proudly announced that at least six areas of study are being offered with some being, general surgery; orthopaedic surgery; gynaecology; paediatrics and emergency medicine.
“With an influx of hundreds of Cuban-trained Guyanese doctors, we have a big pool now to create more post graduate doctors, that is, specialists.”
With the support and assistance of the Cuban Health Minister, Ramsarran said plans are already being devised on what must be done, “With this large cohort of Cuban trained, Spanish-speaking Guyanese graduate doctors.”
“Now out of these junior doctors,” Ramsarran asserted, “we have created ‘play dough’ to develop our specialist personnel, which means that in the near future we will not totally be able to remove our dependence on other specialists from other countries like India, China and Cuba, but we are creating our own patriotic, or own national core.”
Looking forward to 2013, Ramsarran reported that after a visit to Cuba, plans and preparations are being made for further expansion of post graduate programs with preliminary discussions in progress. “If we can have small post graduate programs in the country using graduates from the University of Guyana and other institutions, what is there to stop us from starting those programs with a massive influx of Cuban trained doctors?” Ramsarran asked.
Nevertheless, he mentioned that the government has invested heavily in these young persons and they will have to pay their dues. “It is expected that they will serve. The first contract, in the first instance, obliges them to serve five years, after they come back, graduated as what we term Graduate doctors. Anything added to that,” the Minister said, “the graduate would have to sign a new contract with the Guyanese people and they would have to serve well to stand a chance at getting into the competitive post graduate program”.
Ramsarran concluded that the Guyanese people could look forward to those positive changes for 2013. And while provision of the workforce and upgrade of health facilities were major matters last year, the focus continues.
“But it is also a task for the Ministry to provide quality and premium health service in 2013.”