22 Health Facilities receive early licences for 2019

Mar 24, 2019 News

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud on Friday issued licences to 22 Health Facilities for 2019, effectively placing the Ministry of Public Health’s grant of approval on those institutions. He noted that 25 facilities’ licences are currently pending inspection by the Ministry’s team. The licences were handed out in the boardroom of the National Blood Transfusion Centre.
Dr. Persaud lauded this year’s early allocation as an improvement because, in previous years, healthcare facilities applied later than they were supposed to, and this resulted in licences being processed much later in the year.
He said that the licences are of different types and coverage, depending on the type and level of service provided by the facility. Some facilities are licensed specifically for dialysis services, radiotherapies, and cancer treatment services.
Some of the basic requirements include adequate washing facilities, proper recording systems, spaces for confidential consultations, proper cleaning and waste disposal mechanisms, enough water, and proper toilet facilities. These are necessary, said Persaud, “so when someone comes to a licensed facility, they [can] expect to receive a full package of service”.
Some of the health facilities that received licences on Friday include public health facilities in the villages of Industry, Enmore, Ithaca, Unity, Mon Repos, Melanie, Enterprise, Mahaica, and Lusignan. The private licensees include Universal Health Care, Dr. Leslie Persaud’s Clinic, Demerara Paradise, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Resident Care, AMK Renal Care, Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital, Biomed Energy Enterprise, Anamayah Memorial Hospital, and Woodlands Hospital.
Some have received provisional licences, pending further consideration by the board, while others have full licences. Dr. Persaud said that the ministry is continuing to work with those facilities that have not been fully licensed, to rectify their non-compliance.
Every licence expires annually on the anniversary date of its issuance or renewal, so health facilities are expected to apply for renewal every year.
Dr. Ivory de Franca of Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital congratulated the Public Health Ministry on this initiative, because this is the first time the institution she represents received its licence early in the year. She recalled instances when she wasn’t sure which providers she could refer patients to for dialysis services, and explained that it’s important for the public to know what services are provided by an institution from the Ministry’s verification. This is because the law typically requires a full-time nephrologist to be stationed at a healthcare facility for it to be licensed to provide dialysis services.
Dr. Persaud said that although the law makes such requirements, the Ministry allows certain facilities to retain their certification in some cases, if they don’t have those specialists on hand, due to a shortage of skilled professionals countrywide. In those cases, the facilities would need to have medical practitioners with some level of certification in the field.
There are certain challenges being faced by the Ministry when it comes to meeting the needs of the entire population, said Dr. Persaud. Firstly, only 94 facilities have applied for licensing, so the Ministry is encouraging others to join the fray. Secondly, there are 372 health facilities operating nationwide. Because the Ministry can’t completely inspect all of those, the facilities which take precedence are the more comprehensive ones and those which serve larger populations, like hospitals. Health posts are generally allowed to provide services anyway.
The inspections, according to Dr. Persaud, are done by a multi-stakeholder board of healthcare representatives from all administrative regions, and other stakeholders, like the Bureau of Standards and the Environmental Protect Agency.
The facilities are expected to each provide a report to the board, and the team evaluates then provides recommendations to the Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence. The central board meets once per month.
Dr. Persaud gave special thanks to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) for assisting Guyana to develop its capacity for the provision of more specialised services, like those offered by radiotherapy specialists.
Inspection is scheduled to commence on March 26 for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, and that will conclude on March 28.

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22 Health Facilities receive early licences for 2019

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