Doobay Medical Centre puts health programmes on hold

Jun 10, 2015 News

– has ambitious plans to continue training initiatives in future

A number of young persons were able to benefit from its offerings, but construction work to expand the East Coast Demerara Doobay Medical Centre has resulted in the halting of the facility’s School for Health Sciences Education.

Chairperson of the Doobay Medical Centre, Ms Ameena Gafoor

However, according to chairperson of the not-for-profit entity, Ms Ameena Gafoor, the halt is only intended to be a temporary one.
The School was one that catered to the training of Laboratory Technicians, Phlebotomists, Pharmacy Assistants and Nursing Assistants. All students who were a part of the programme that commenced last year were able to complete same, Gafoor said, as she pointed out that “we had to put the school on pause because of the expansion.”
Continuance, she explained, will be dependent on the space allocation of the facility that is being constructed to accommodate an expanded facility to offer specialised health care.
However, she pointed to the possibility of gaining access to buildings where campuses can be established in the near future.
“If we can afford those buildings then we can use them for schools and residences for when our doctors come from overseas, and to accommodate students coming from far…that was one of the problems we had before,” said Gafoor. She observed that some students had travelled from as far as Linden to attend classes that were offered. Some classes, she said, started at 17:00 hours and finished at 21:00 hours, after which students had to travel back home.
“So we felt we couldn’t sustain that, but if we get a building(s) we can offer some students live-in training…those are the things we are looking at. If God gives us health and strength, we are on that path and we will follow through,” assured Gafoor.
The Doobay facility, which is situated at Annandale, was donated by the family of Dr. Budhendra Doobay, who currently resides in Canada. He is the founder of the Doobay Renal Centre, which is now popularly known as the Doobay Medical Centre.
According to Gafoor, it was through the Directors of the not-for-profit operation, along with the support from donors, both local and overseas, that “we have managed this expansion that is ongoing. I think that it is quite impressive by any standard”.
As part of the expansion will be the inclusion of the capacity to offer renal surgery and the construction of at least two operating theatres and an intensive care unit in addition to a Cardio/Stroke Centre, and capacity for Paediatric care and general surgery. The facility is expected to accommodate a 25-bed ward to aid patients’ recovery.
“We will have x-rays, MRIs, CAT scans…so we will have this specialised centre and (cater to) specific areas of needs open to the general public. We are catering to the public who can’t afford top quality health care (and) that is one thing this centre will provide to them,” said Chief Executive Officer of the facility, Mr Mohamad Ali.
The infrastructural work, according to Gafoor, is being supported by one local business, while another has taken the responsibility of setting up a state-of-the-art laboratory, complete with all necessary equipment.
“We are here to serve the people of Guyana…those who need our services, we are here to serve them,” said Gafoor as she stressed that “when a person is ill they are vulnerable, they can’t do things for themselves and we see it as obligatory to those of us who are still standing on our feet to help those who need our help.”
She insisted that the facility is donor-driven and volunteer-driven, “none of us get paid.”