Public Health Sector still in dire need of pathologists - official

Public Health Sector still in dire need of pathologists – official

Jan 27, 2014 News

Although there is support from the Cuban Government, the area of pathology in Guyana is seemingly under threat. The threat, one official within the public health sector said, is in fact linked to the shortage of skills in this particularly crucial area.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud

The official, whose comments in this regard were forthcoming during a conversation with this publication, explained that currently, Guyana has two very senior Pathologists with several years of experience. And according to the official who requested anonymity, one of these pathologists is particularly “over-worked. He goes all over; and there is another one in Berbice who is complaining all the time…”
This publication was reliably informed too that at least one young doctor has for a few years been engaged in training facilitated by one of the Senior Pathologists while there is at least one other who is prepared to undergo specialist training in the field. However, it was revealed that one of the doctors is prepared for advanced training but is not willing to do so in Cuba because of the language barrier.
The official related though that moves have been made by the Health Ministry to secure scholarships in order to train specialist doctors including Pathologists.
The daunting specialist doctors’ shortage situation had in fact a few years ago, prompted Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran to appeal to young doctors to take advantage of available scholarships. The Minister had even lamented the fact that, “We don’t have Pathologists. The oldest Pathologist is 63 years old and the youngest one is just a few years younger than that. If somebody would come forward and say I want to go into that field obviously we would have to link them to that area so that they can get the grooming.”
Young doctors accepting the challenge could see the Health Ministry deviating from its administrative regulation which requires that doctors serve at least two and a half years before becoming eligible for post graduate scholarships, Dr. Ramsaran said.
Doctors who are the recipients of scholarship programmes awarded by the government are expected to serve the country for a period of five years throughout the administrative Regions.
In amplifying that the Ministry of Health is an enlightened and learning organisation, the Minister said, “We provide upward professional mobility by giving young professionals other opportunities” even as he added that the health sector is always under pressure to recruit more skilled professionals.
However, while there is scope for deviation, Minister Ramsaran pointed out that this move is only possible through the discretion of the Administration.
But despite the Minister’s appeal and his disclosure of a possible deviation, the existing state of affairs indicates that not too many of the young doctors are desirous of embracing the field of Pathology.

Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran

Fewer than 500 doctors have been trained over the past few years in Cuba through a strategic collaboration with the Cuban and Guyanese Government, and close to half of this amount is currently undergoing internship at various health facilities across the country. However, there has been no announcement by the Health Ministry of any of these doctors, save two, being identified for specialist training in Pathology.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud had however informed this publication last year that Guyana had commenced discussions with Cuba with a view of having the medical graduates be furnished with a bit more training through post-graduate programmes in the fields of Family Medicine, Orthopaedics, Psychiatry and Pathology.
Pathology is the science of the causes and effects of diseases, especially the branch of medicine that deals with the laboratory examination of samples of body tissue for diagnostic or forensic purposes and is characterised by the post mortem examinations of corpses.