Delivery of health care at GPHC set to be boosted with $28M endowment

Dec 29, 2018 News

At a simple handing over ceremony yesterday, more than $28M worth of drugs and medical supplies were handed over to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC], compliments of the government of China.
During the ceremony held in the hospital’s Resource Centre, Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier George Lewis, said, “today I believe is another historic day in the development of relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Guyana, since today we are witnessing a handing over of invaluable equipment and medical supplies valued at $28,230, 715.”
Among the donated equipment, Brigadier Lewis said, are those that will cater to plastic surgery, surgery and other procedures, including orthopaedics, that are conducted routinely at the public hospital. Essentially, he said that the process will help the facility to improve its delivery of health care to its patients.
As he made reference to relations Guyana has shared with China over the years in the area of health care, Brigadier Lewis recalled that this has allowed for Guyana to take advantage of health professionals in various capacities to provide specialised medical care, particularly to those who visit the GPHC, along with donations of much needed medical supplies and equipment.
“We here are indeed thankful and grateful for the support of the People’s Republic of China…more particularly, we are grateful that this donation will help our patients and those who visit the institutions,” said Brigadier Lewis, as he urged that such collaborations be sustained.

Minister Volda Lawrence is flanked by members of the 14th Chinese Medical Brigade following the handing over ceremony yesterday.

Accepting the donation yesterday was Senior Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, who expressed gratitude “for the solidarity, support and invaluable service to the health sector…”
“Today, once again we witness the deepening and strengthening of relationships between our two peoples, through the donation of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals to our premier referral hospital,” said the Minister, as she emphasised the appreciation for such an act which will impact significantly on the quality of service offered to the citizens of the country.
According to the Minister, the principal purpose of the health sector is to respond to and achieve goal number three of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs], which seeks to ensure the health and wellbeing of all and by extension that Guyanese are among the healthy in the Caribbean and the Americas.
“It is a well known fact that in order to cater adequately to the needs of our citizens, contributions of this nature from our missions and partners are of inestimable value. We can’t operate with medical supplies and pharmaceuticals for they constitute the lifeline between our doctors and patients,” said the Minister, as she reiterated appreciation for the donation as she commended the overall support from China to the health sector.
Heading the 14th Chinese Medical Brigade was Dr. Shen Jiansong, who handed over the sizeable donation. Dr. Shen also noted that the medical brigade to Guyana has thus far, done successful work with local general surgeons and medical staff.
Just recently, the same brigade contributed over $6M in medical supplies and equipment to the Linden Hospital Complex, and last year the GPHC benefitted from a $22M donation.
The Chinese brigade goes through a one-year tenure and has worked closely with local medical staff to provide training and exposure to specialized services.

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