Reg 6 Mental health sector boosted

May 13, 2019 News

─ 45 Psychiatric Patient Care Assistants graduate

Linda Todd, a single mother of two, is among 45 students who have graduated as Psychiatric Patient Care Assistants (PPCA), as the Government seeks to boost mental health care countrywide.
Todd was also chosen as the Valedictorian during the May 10 graduation ceremony in East Berbice Corentyne. She was followed by Kimberly Grant, who won second place honours, and Stayann D’Aguiar, who placed third.

Director of Regional Health Services Jevaughn Andrew Stephen

Dr. Nichole Nedd

Dr. Nichole Nedd, who addressed the graduates on behalf of the Public Health Minister Volda Lawerence, noted that Government is seeking to have a team of non-specialist staff to combat mental health issues that affect many Guyanese.
“One of the major things in the National Mental Health Action Plan 2015-2020 is community mental health care…that is a major direction in which we are going,” she said, while addressing the graduates at the Regional Health Services tarmac.
“We are changing from institutionalised mental health care to community mental health care and one of the largest initiatives in community mental health care is training of non-specialist doctors in Guyana to combat the major mental health conditions.”
According to Dr. Nedd, a study conducted in Guyana by Dr. Jorge Balserio and Dr. Bhiro Harry found that more than 200,000 Guyanese suffer from some level of mental illness. As part of tackling the problem, the Ministry of Public Health, along with several Non-Governmental Organisations, has conducted several mental health training programmes. The training of non-specialised health care providers has been a key initiative in the National Mental Health Action Plan 2015-2020.
Dr. Nedd noted her satisfaction that 12 of the 45 graduates were men. “It is heartening to see a group of men who will be responsible for caring for these patients,” she said.

Some of the graduates

Barbra Grey, the coordinator of the training programme facilitated by The Regional Health Services in collaboration with the Division of Health Science Education, noted that the students were exposed to a wide range of subject areas. These included Physiology, Clinical Nursing and Customer Care among others.
The nine-month training programme began in July 2018 and concluded in March, 2019. The students attended classes from Mondays to Wednesdays, while, on Thursdays and Fridays, they were assigned to different clinics for practical experience.
The students are trained to work at the psychiatric hospital but are also trained to function as nursing assistants at any clinic in the health system.
In his remarks to the graduates, Director of Regional Health Services Jevaughn Andrew Stephen reminded that “the reputation and efficiency of our health services rests on your shoulders… each one of you graduating here as a PPCA is expected to work as a team to meet all that is expected of you.”
He also commended the Ministry of Public Health and the Division Health Sciences Education team for playing a critical role in training. “You invested your skills in carefully planning and exciting the educational activities, I therefore thank you for the dedication to your tasks and urged you to make this an ongoing training programme.

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