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Minister highlights attempts to rival measures to counter overcrowding at A&E

Aug 04, 2015 News

In recognition of the fact that a major bugbear at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is an overwhelming number of patients visiting its Accident and Emergency Unit, strategic tactics aimed at tackling this challenge were implemented.
This development was yesterday vocalised by Senior Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, who revealed that as part of the efforts to counter the challenge, the hospital had not only facilitated the training of doctors to become emergency physician specialists, but also targeted nurses for similar training.
But this deliberate move – aimed at helping to address the protracted situation, whereby patients complained of waiting for hours, sometimes even up to 12 hours before they were attended to – did not find favour with all senior personnel at the public hospital.
“We had a group of nurses who were training, but the Matron said no, we have to circulate them (nurses),” recounted the Public Health Minister at a forum convened at the Brickdam, Georgetown, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), yesterday.
The outcome of that situation, the Minister said, was protest action at the GPHC a mere few weeks after he assumed the position of Minister.
He moreover lamented the fact that systems that were put in place to remedy a glaring situation were not given a chance to function and were instead “being broken, and its either that system is given an opportunity to function, to change that which existed before, that which we were discontented with, or you go. That is what we are prepared to do – make decisions.
We can’t keep repeating the same things daily and expect change and that brought the loggerheads that we had there,” stressed the Minister.
The situation, to which the Minister was alluding, is one that saw Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GPHC, Mr Michael Khan, issuing a letter of termination to Matron of the hospital, Sister Colleen Hicks, effective on June 15, 2015.
According to Khan, because of “gross insubordination” he was forced to take the decision to terminate Hicks’ service on the date that her probation period was slated to end.
However, based on the advice of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), which claimed that it is representing her case, Hicks has remained on the job.
The GPSU soon after the issuance of the termination letter had written to the CEO demanding that the decision be rescinded. The Union had even threatened to “take whatever appropriate measures available” to have the decision reversed.
Based on information out of the GPSU yesterday, there has been no response from the CEO suggesting his intent to rescind his decision.
The PAHO forum yesterday is one that saw the attendance of Minister Norton, Minister within the Public Health Ministry, Dr. Karen Cummings and Permanent Secretary (ag), Mr Trevor Thomas. It was designed to enlightened them about the support that PAHO is able to afford to the Ministry in order to help improve its operation. The meeting took the form of presentations by technical PAHO officers who sought to highlight their specialised programme areas.
Among the support that PAHO is prepared to render to the Ministry is that of training for nursing and midwifery tutors. This is in light of the fact that there have been daunting failure rates that have been associated with the nursing programme administered by the public health sector.
According to PAHO Resident Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, he has been informed that some of the nurses preceptors had in fact retired from the (health system) a long time ago. This therefore means that they may not be au fait with all modern practices.
As such, Dr. Adu-Krow spoke of PAHO’s willingness to facilitate an exchange programme whereby local preceptors could be afforded exposure in Miami.
And according to Minister Norton, “I am glad that this opportunity is being presented where nurses can get tutoring.”

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