Maternal deaths, mental health high on APNU+AFC health agenda

Apr 23, 2015 News

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The coalition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), has stated that if it is voted into government, maternal deaths and mental health will be top priorities on its agenda.

The commitment was made during a recent press conference held by several doctors of the coalition.
During conversation with media operatives, Dr. Karen Cummings said that Guyana’s healthcare system is in a crisis. She said that the coalition was “dissatisfied” with the current level of health care being offered to Guyana. She added that Guyana has shifted from primary health care to specialty healthcare and is lagging behind other countries, particularly in tackling maternal deaths.
She said too that tackling the numerous issues ahead was a “herculean task” which would require a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectorial approach.
When questioned on the first health areas to be targeted by the APNU+AFC if the coalition wins the upcoming elections, Cummings indicated that these areas would be maternal deaths and mental health.
Cummings placed particular emphasis on maternal deaths and noted that this year is the deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of these goals includes the reduction of maternal deaths by 75%. However, Cummings opined that Guyana is a far way from achieving that objective, particularly in the short period of time remaining.
“We are far from that; in fact, we’re at the highest in the Caribbean and Latin America,” she said.
Similarly, Dr. Surendra Persaud questioned why maternal deaths remain such a serious issue in Guyana’s healthcare system, particularly in the public hospitals. He paid special attention to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and noted that Georgetown is “a relatively small place”. He added that in private hospitals, maternal deaths are not as common.
“Can we remember when was the last time we heard of a maternal death in the private sector? Within the confines of Georgetown, a few blocks away we can do it right; we must be able to do it in the public hospital,” Persaud said.
He too opined that Guyana would not reach the MDG goal in regards to maternal deaths. However, he questioned, “Is there an acceptable number of our women who should die becoming mothers?” He continued, “The answer is no! It’s zero…even if we were to hit it [the MDG goal], it’s still not acceptable. Whether we hit it or not, that’s not the question. The issue is the relentless pursuit of perfection; what we’re going after is zero. No mother anywhere in the world should die becoming a mother.”
He added that Guyana’s duty was to ensure that both mother and child remain healthy and alive.

Capacity Building
During the press conference, building capacity within the health sector was also noted as a key in tackling many of the current issues plaguing the healthcare system.
Another doctor, George Norton, indicated that the coalition’s desire was to see a health sector which concentrated much more on training.
“We’ve got to look at not only the health infrastructure in clinics and hospitals but we also have to look at the human resources available there; make sure we have trained doctors, trained nurses, not necessarily the community health worker, but also that of staff nurses and midwives. Very importantly, we want to see medical supplies and medication be adequately available,” Norton said.
He added that this should especially be the case with the GPHC.
He further said that specialty training was an area which was severely suffering in Guyana.
“We must not be in a hospital where there is no neurologist or neurosurgeon…we have to choose these specific areas that we do not have any personnel and make sure that we have that here,” Dr. Norton said. He continued, “I would want to see the GPH being manned by Guyanese doctors; Guyanese doctors who would have undergone post-graduate training to take up the requirements of the GPH as well as the nurses and technicians. But particularly, the APNU+AFC coalition would concentrate on training, particularly post graduate training.”
He went on to say that the delivery of healthcare needed to be tackled from both the long and short-term angles. He added that the long-term process “will definitely be that of training”. He said too that work ethics was an area that needed to be tackled. Norton said that the issue of work ethics was linked to job satisfaction and he indicated that many persons are not satisfied with their jobs, particularly their salaries, and in turn have poor ethics.
Dr. Cummings added that the nursing school needed to be reinvented as it is currently experiencing a number of barriers including funding, poor student to teacher ratio, and a lack of resources. She said that APNU+AFC would not only look at the numbers of personnel to be trained but also the quality of training they will receive.
“When all is said and done, the caregivers have to step up and we plan on working on that; it’s on the front burner,” Cummings said.
Dr. Norton added, “If we don’t invest in our human resources, we are not going to get the desired results and that’s where the coalition will certainly have to exercise most of its energy.”
The timely and efficient dispensation of emergency services, infrastructure, and non-communicable diseases were also raised as issues which will be on the coalition’s agenda.

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