GPHC hard-pressed to manage sickle cell patients

Jun 14, 2017 News

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-gets PAHO support to advance efforts

A random estimate suggests that about three percent of Guyanese are affected with sickle cell disease and thalassaemia, which are inherited blood disorders. On average the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] alone

sees 10 to 15 sickle patients per week in its Adult Chronic Diseases Clinic. Additionally, three to four persons are seen in the Accident and Emergency department weekly for this disease.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassaemia are inherited blood disorders which have been known to painfully disrupt the life those infected. It has been known to predispose its victims to symptoms including fatigue and anemia, pain crises; dactylitis (swelling and inflammation of the hands and/or feet) and arthritis, bacterial infections, splenic sequestration (sudden pooling of blood in the spleen) and liver congestion, lung and heart injury and leg ulcers, among others.
Speaking about the daunting condition yesterday was acting Chief Executive Officer of the GPHC, Brigadier [Rtd] George Lewis.
According to Lewis, for this year there has been an average of 7.6 adult admission per month within the A&E department. In fact, Lewis yesterday made reference to a study done by an intern which found that 106 admissions to the Paediatric Medical Wards during the period 2013-2015 were attributed to sickle cell.
Added to this, it was found that the Paediatric Haematology Clinic routinely sees approximately 70 of these patients at regular intervals.
Lewis’s disclosure was forthcoming yesterday, even as the hospital accepted support from the Pan American Health Organisation [PAHO] to support its efforts to deal with the disease.
The support came in the form of two computers and two printers to benefit the hospital’s two medical clinics.
The donation was in fact described as “yet another demonstration of unwavering commitment” from PAHO by Senior Registrar, Dr. Grace Waldron-White, who chaired a simple handing-over ceremony yesterday in the hospital’s Medical Clinic. According to her, “the primary aim of this gesture is to facilitate the development of a database for adults and paediatrics sickle cell and thalassaemia patients.”
Delivering remarks ahead of handing over the items, PAHO Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, explained that while in the “big scheme of things” the donation is not significant, it is, however, expected to be a start to a bigger process.
He informed that the donation was spurred when representatives of the Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Association paid a visit to PAHO. The importance of managing sickle patients was emphasised at that meeting.
“One of the ways we thought about [to assist] was to help build their capacity…to help build the capacity of not only the managers, which in this case happens to be the doctors and the nurses, but also the Sickle Cell Association members, so that they can begin to serve as change agents,” Dr. Adu-Krow noted.
This, according to the PAHO Representative, will see PAHO giving support to not only help facilitate training for representatives of the Association, but also the managers of the patients.
With the donation of the computers, Dr. Adu-Krow is hopeful that the Georgetown Hospital will be able to embrace the notion of e-health. According to WHO, e-Health is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health.
“These are going to be dedicated to patient profile, patient data not only for the patient but also for the labs…also for medication. I am hoping this is what is going to happen,” Dr. Adu-Krow said as he added “I hope that they are going to be put to good use.”
“We have to show that we can make it work. We have to show that we as doctors are not so busy that we can’t enter patient data. We have to show that we at the lab are not so busy that we can’t come back at the end of the day and input the patient data so that next time when a patient comes that information is known, not only to the doctor, not only to the nurse but everybody….,” said Dr. Adu-Krow.
According to the hospital’s CEO [ag], “It is apposite that today’s donation be looked at within context, because it will help us to accumulate and be able to synthesize and assess the data and information on patients who are treated within this facility”.
He believes that the donation is timely, since the hospital will be joining the rest of the world to commemorate World Sickle Cell Day shortly. World Sickle Cell Day will be observed on June 19.

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