Vehicles’ emission increasing respiratory threat – says GPHC DCEO

Jan 06, 2018 News

– efforts being made to assess Guyana’s Respiratory Therapy needs

Visiting officials from Bridges Global Medical Missions hand over some supplies to DCEO, Ms. Elizabeth Gonsalves [third from right], in the presence of other officials, including Dr. Sheik Amir [second from right].

An increase in vehicles will by extension lend to an increase in exhaust emissions which, according to Deputy Chief Executive Officer [CEO], Ms. Elizabeth Gonsalves, does not augur well for Guyana.

According to Gonsalves, this development could in fact lead to an increase in respiratory diseases which she believes has already started to emerge as a public health threat.

Such threats, Gonsalves underscored, were not very prevalent when she was a child.

Although she lived overseas for a number of years, her young days were spent right here in Guyana.

“When I was growing up, I hardly remembered people having respiratory diseases. Now and then you had a kid who had asthma, and I can tell you there were a number of home remedies that were used, even before families got to the doctor, that relieved it to some extent. But now it [respiratory diseases] is becoming so prevalent,” said Gonsalves.

She disclosed that she has seen the changes in the society over time.

“I have been in and out of this country and in the last couple of years… maybe five years, I have seen a growth in automobiles on the roads, that now if you are in the traffic during a rush hour and you put your window down, my nose actually burns, and I know that is a signal that at some point we are going to have more of an increase in respiratory diseases,” said Gonsalves.

But there are even more contributory factors which, she said, will also help to cause an increase in such troubling conditions.

The DCEO’s disclosure was forthcoming as she delivered remarks at a forum in the Learning Resource Centre of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]. The occasion was one intended to highlight the collaboration between the GPHC and the Bridges Global Medical Missions. The organisation is one that has facilitated the visit of a team comprising three Faculty Members and 10 students from Texas State University.

Additionally, the team is expected to help Guyana conduct a survey on Respiratory Therapy.

It is believed that such an exercise would be a great boost in the GPHC’s thrust towards the delivery of more advanced health care.

Further, the students of Texas State University have for the past few days been engaged in an attachment programme at the GPHC which has seen them doing supervised rounds in the Asthma and Spirometry department, the Emergency Intensive Care Unit and the Intensive Care Unit.

Speaking of the students’ exposure to the premier health facility, Gonsalves said, “I am happy that you from the developed world are getting a chance to see how we deal with things here, because I know we don’t have half of the equipment you have to use.”

The Bridges Medical Mission is a non-profit organisation based in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to its head, Dr. Claudette Heyligar-Thomas, “we actually started off in 2008 in Parika, Fort Wellington, the Linden Hospital and the Georgetown Public Hospital, and over the years we have expanded to other areas – Leonora, Kwakwani, Upper Demerara Hospital, Mahaicony Hospital and Bartica Hospital.”

According to Dr. Heyligar-Thomas, too, the mission of Bridges, besides collaborating with local physicians and other health care providers, is to see what their needs are and determine how these needs can be addressed.

Although Bridges had initially started to lend its support to Guyana once annually, that has since increased to twice per year to help enhance patient care, in addition to continuing medical education.

Bridges’ support to medical education commenced in 2009 and, according to Dr. Heyligar-Thomas, “We have covered areas including hypertension, cervical cancer, acute ischemic syndrome, paediatric chest pain, prostate cancer, breast cancer, mastectomy versus lumpectomy and diabetic foot care. It is important to improve the education of your providers, and in that way they can enhance their patient care.”

As part of its support to Guyana, yesterday Bridges handed over a number of medical supplies to the GPHC which are expected to further aid the delivery of health care services.

Gracing yesterday’s forum was Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr. Sheik Amir, among other officials.