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Plans apace to improve image of GPHC’s Maternity Unit
Even with additional beds in a new facility, the space issue that has faced the Maternity Unit of the
Senior Departmental Sister, Sister Denise Marks
Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is not likely to become a thing of the past. This notion was recently amplified by Senior Departmental Supervisor of the Maternity Unit, Sister Denise Marks.
“Even if we have 100 more beds, it probably wouldn’t make a difference at certain times of the year,” Sister Marks explained.
This, she said, is due to the fact that there are periods during the course of the year that there are over 50 deliveries within three days and these patients remain admitted for at least 24 hours before they are discharged. This of course is compounded by the fact that the Georgetown Hospital is the country’s main referral hospital, thus catering to outlying and other areas while at the same time serving as the Region Four regional hospital.
“We get more than our fair share of patients who we cannot turn away,” Sister Marks said.
This essentially means that space could at times be severely depleted and could deprive new admissions of much needed space, but yet is an unavoidable state of affairs.
A new maternity facility slated to be opened shortly isn’t likely to solve the space problem, Sister Marks reiterated, as she emphasised that a true change at the GPHC is likely to materialise with more nursing staff. Currently the Maternity Unit benefits from the services of just over 40 midwives, five ward managers, 22 staff nurses, 14 nursing assistants, 19 patient care assistants, two clinical instructors, one junior departmental supervisor and of course, one senior departmental supervisor.
In fact Sister Marks disclosed that plans are already apace to improve the image of the Maternity Unit and by extension that of the hospital, even in the face of existing challenges and naysayers.
The new Maternity Unit which is expected to be commissioned soon.
According to Sister Marks, who has been in the profession for over 20 years, “the perception that people have of the hospital and of the profession itself, causes you to want to give up. For instance there might be some issue…there might be some maternal deaths, but nobody finds out exactly how it happens. Then there is a negative report in the newspaper and we all feel bad and sometimes we want to chuck in, but because of the love for the job and to prove to people out there that this is not what the GPHC is about, we stay…it is not all negative.”
She, however, noted that while the criticisms that are directed to the Maternity Unit may never stop, it however serves as a motivating factor.
“We need to work on lots of things so that we wouldn’t be criticised too much though,” she asserted, as she pointed to the need for improved professionalism among nurses. To achieve this goal, she noted that training programmes are in place.
Sister Marks disclosed that while some nurses join the profession simply as a means of getting a pay package at the end of the month, they are cautioned that that should not be the main agenda.
“Money of course is important, but it is not all about the money. If you don’t like the job it is likely that you would do anything, but if you like nursing you will go all out,” she added.
Recalling when she delved into the profession several years ago, Sister Marks recounted that “I actually loved it, but when I went on the ward and saw what was happening I had to make a decision right there and then whether I would stay or go. So people might like the job, but they may not know what it entails…you have to understand it and want to do the job…you have to love it,” she reflected.
Sister Marks also stressed the need for nurses to be able to divorce their professional life from their personal life. She noted that while it may not always be easy, it is in fact an ability that could be acquired over time.
“I don’t bring my personal life to work, I leave it at home, and that is from experience,” said Sister Marks as she disclosed that “I have nurses under my guidance who I share my experiences with and at the end of the day I do see changes with them.”
She also disclosed that nurses are also able to benefit from counselling sessions which is all part of a journey to helping to improve the general image of the hospital.
“We try to have one and one with our nurses and within the next two years or so we will get there…we are working hard and we have a lot of young people who are coming up and are very vibrant and they are here to work,” she asserted.
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