Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
Local hospitals to have at least one nurse to educate persons on cancer – OSHAG
Cancer can be a scary word, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a disease that’s been around for millions of years. It has even been found in dinosaur bones!
The nurses who were trained
The ancient Egyptians had it and the Greeks even came up with its name- it means “crab.”
Being diagnosed with cancer doesn’t mean you will die. It simply means that you have to take extra care of yourself and pay a lot more attention to your body.
In Guyana, breast and cervical cancer are the leading causes of death but with early detection and treatment, many lives can be saved.
In an effort to educate persons and to administer safe chemotherapy, 25 nurses from around the country were trained.
This was done through a collaborative effort between Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Ministry of Public Health and a Non-Government Organization, OSHAG (Organization for Social and Health Advancement in Guyana).
OSHAG, a US-based organisation has adopted the Oncology Unit at the GPHC and has been assisting that department in various ways since.
Yesterday, a simple ceremony was held at the Oncology Department in the presence of cancer victims, officials from the Health Ministry, the hospital and the NGO.
Kaieteur News understands that OSHAG brought a number of medical officials from New York, who are specialized in cancer care to offer training to local nurses.
These nurses were trained for five days in various areas of cancer treatment.
When they return to their respective hospitals, they will be able to educate residents on prevention and early detection.
They were also trained in safe chemotherapy administration and management of side effects.
“In Guyana, 45 percent of breast cancer cases are Indo-Guyanese while 39 percent of cervical cancer cases are Afro-Guyanese,” Leticia Smith, one of the medical personnel who came with the team explained.
She added that it was against this background that the organization decided to offer assistance in the area of cancer to Guyana.
“There aren’t national screening guidelines for cancer. As a result when women and men are diagnosed with cancer, the diagnosis comes at a late stage because there is no (public) facility available here that does screening,” the volunteer said.
From 2003 to 2012, according to records from the Guyana Cancer Registry, there were 3,415 cancer deaths in Guyana, representing 52.4 percent of all cancer victims.
Mortality in women was 1,784 and 1,631 were in males.
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