Moves being made to make GPHC cancer treatment-friendly

Aug 30, 2013 News

An evaluation of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is on the cards even as moves are being made by the Ministry of Health to ensure that quality cancer treatment is continually available to the Guyanese populace.
This disclosure was made by Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran, who has recommended that the GPHC forges a strategic collaboration with the Cancer Institute of Guyana in order to realise the objective.

Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran

The Cancer Institute, which is situated in the GPHC compound, was earlier this year afforded a provisional licence that allows it to operate an oncology clinic with radiation therapy. The move followed on the heels of an evaluation which revealed that the facility was in compliance with the requirements under the Health Facilities Licensing Act of 2007.
“We are pushing it now more than ever because we have been waiting too long to have this kind of service reinstated,” Dr Ramsaran said.
Moreover, he disclosed that the Ministry has solicited the support of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) through the person of its Technical Adviser, Dr Rosalinda Hernandez, to ascertain whether the GPHC could fill the requisite gap in order to aid the provision of cancer treatment.
“I had an official meeting with Dr Hernandez today (Wednesday) and the necessary documentation will be done seeking her assistance to have somebody come to do the assessment so that if we take up that service, which will include radiation I suppose, and whatever is necessary, we will be doing it in a safe and good condition.”
But according to the GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Michael Khan, the moves toward collaboration with the Cancer Institute are only now beginning.
“We are in the stage of identifying an area so that we can put what Minister wants us to have here, but we are surely working with the Cancer Institute.”
And should all measures be put in place, it will mean that the Cancer Institute will be able to establish a working partnership with the GPHC rather than a private facility.
And since this development is likely to come at no small cost to the Ministry of Health, Dr Ramsaran said that the preferred move would be for the private sector to fill the void.
“If the private sector takes it up, we would be more than happy, but we cannot wait…Four months have already elapsed since the Cancer Institute was granted permission to do its work…”
Previously, the St Joseph Mercy Hospital was the primary facility to provide the needful care, but according to Dr Ramsaran, PAHO had found that there were many things wanting in that operation. Among the concerns, PAHO had detected that there was a leak in radiation, which forced the decommissioning of the cancer treatment operation there.
And according to the Minister, it was only this week he learnt from his Director of Standard, Dr Julian Amsterdam, that no moves have been made by the private facility to re-commission the cancer treatment operation.
“He indicated that apparently the Mercy Hospital’s Board (of Directors) have not met since the decommissioning and that was several months ago…and this service is still in limbo. If they get themselves in order, obviously they can get certified.”
Without the requisite facility in place such as the Cancer Institute and other certified facilities, Dr Ramsaran said that Government will have no choice but to seek cancer treatment care for patients overseas.
He said it was, however, in light of the need to have the treatment closer to home, that moves were made to encourage the collaboration between the GPHC and the Cancer Institute.
“I instructed Mr (Michael) Khan to explore the possibility of putting the GPHC in order to act as Plan B just in case the Mercy Hospital doesn’t have that Board meeting soon.”
“We want all of those (medical) services that were offered here before, but we want them offered in a safe and correct manner.”
The Minister further disclosed that it is his expectation that the GPHC will be able to engage the Cancer Institute with a view of putting things in place swiftly to enable a working relationship, similar to that which existed in the past with the Mercy Hospital.
“The Ministry of Health wants this service and whichever entity gets itself in order first will be certified, but it could be more efficient with the GPHC, since it shares the same compound with the Cancer Institute. So this collaboration would be convenient, but of course we can’t force them into a relationship.”