Latest update January 7th, 2025 4:10 AM
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GPHC Ophthalmology Department boosted with George Subraj Family Foundation donation
The Ophthalmology Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) received a donation of medical supplies valued over US$20,000 on Friday, from the George Subraj Family Foundation.
The supplies donated included an 87-piece surgical instrument set that included precision forceps, dissecting instruments, surgical scissors, vascular clamps, needle holders and eye drops among other supplies.
Vice President of the George Subraj Family Foundation, Tony Subraj, said that the family’s foundation will remain committed to supporting the GPHC and the Ministry of Public Health through their annual corneal transplant mission as a way to expand the services offered by GPHC.
This visit marks the 25th mission of the cornea and kidney transplant team to Guyana led by the Subraj Foundation. It represents a continuation of the work started by the founder, George Subraj, who passed away last November.
Subraj paved the way for Guyana’s first kidney transplant to be conducted at the GPHC in 2008, after starting his humanitarian work in 1992. This service was conducted by India-born kidney surgeon, Dr. Rahul Jindal, of the Walter Reed Medical Centre in Washington DC.
Renal Transplant Specialist, Dr. Rahul Jindal, said, “The partnership between GPHC and the George Subraj Family Foundation will continue to grow stronger.”
Tony Subraj, Vice President of George Subraj Family Foundation
Gloria Subraj, the wife of the late George Subraj and team of the George Subraj Family Foundation hand over the equipment to the Georgetown Public Health Corporation (GPHC) Chairperson
He expressed gratitude for the support received by the Head of the Nephrology Department, Dr. Kishore Persaud. He also described the skills shown by the surgeons in the department as exceptional since “the idea is that the foreign team should not make the local team depend on them to do only what is required and then gradually withdraw…but to also be independent, to operate without any assistance.”
Chairperson of GPHC’s Board of Directors, Kesaundra Alves, received the donation and expressed her gratitude for the team’s continued support. “We know the legacy of this family will live on through the profound impact that their work and contributions will have with the patients of GPHC who received kidney and corneal transplants. I would like to say thank you on the behalf of the patients” Alves said.
She noted that during this visit with the inclusion of Dr. Joseph Pasternak, a Corneal Transplant Specialist, GPHC expects to complete 16 transplants within the next three days.
Over the past three visits, since 2015 the Subraj Foundation team has facilitated the completion of 41 corneal transplants at GPHC. Thus far, about 70 per cent of the patients have been doing well with clear corneas post-transplant.
Recently, during the third visit the foundation donated over 12 human corneal tissues to the Department of Ophthalmology for transplant surgeries. The clinical team for corneal transplants started in June and was followed up by specialists, both local and from the US. (Neola Damon)
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