Battery-less saw stalls knee surgeries at GPHC

Aug 27, 2015 News

Plagued by pain and discomfort, over one hundred persons would have thought it best to take advantage of the cheap price to get orthopaedic surgery done on their knees at the nation’s provider of quality health care. However, it seems as if the cheap way may have been the longest way around the problem.

Months after paying for knee surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), those patients are yet in line and waiting to be operated on.

In fact, the wait has become so long that persons are becoming uneasy and aggravated by the procrastination which they believe should have been brought to an end a very long time ago by the hospital’s administration.

A broken orthopaedic saw was initially said to be the source which is causing the delay. However, when contacted, the CEO of GPHC, Michael Khan, categorically denied breakage of the saw. He explained that the saw was not broken but rather its battery was damaged and will soon be replaced. He said too that a new saw will also be imported for the purpose of “backup” to avoid future recurrences.

When asked about the failure to address the issue months ago, the CEO told Kaieteur News that it was only brought to the administration’s attention a few weeks ago. Hence, the search for the equipment was ensued and a company named Stryker, a global leader in the medical technology industry, was contacted.

Khan told Kaieteur News that there are some difficulties in getting the equipment in a timely manner, but his team is working to rectify the problem in the shortest time possible. Constant contact is being kept with Stryker and a quotation is expected to be provided soon. Stryker manufactures medical devices and equipment.

The CEO was keen in making it clear that no other department at GPHC is experiencing such difficulty.