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Our Frontline Worker of the Week is… Consultant Radiologist, Tania Aguilera Garcia
“Take the vaccine because that is the only way to avoid the worst form of the illness.”
By Sharmain Grainger
Kaieteur News – Instead of simply waiting for a cure or the annihilation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, people should be aiming, as far as possible, to help prevent its continued spread.
Dr. Tania Aguilera Garcia
At least this is the conviction of Consultant Radiologist at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Tania Aguilera Garcia, who noted during a recent interview that since the onset of the pandemic, she has come to realise that, more than ever, “prevention is better than cure.”But despite the many lives lost to the pandemic and the many more who have battled to survive after being infected, it remains mindboggling to many health professionals, including Dr. Garcia, that there are many among us who still believe that COVID-19 is a myth.
Dr. Garcia has no doubt that the world is faced with one of the deadliest pandemics of all time and indeed there is ample evidence to support this theory. To date, COVID-19 has impacted the lives of millions across the globe. Here in Guyana, more than 35,000 individuals have been infected and of these, just over 930 have died to date.
Donning facemasks to help ward off infection
While our featured frontline worker has thus far been able to ward off being infected, she revealed that there have been persons close to her who have not been so lucky. “I have a good friend, his father had COVID-19 and died. I had many patients and friends too with COVID-19,” she said.
To safeguard herself amid the raging pandemic, she said, “I wear my face mask, wash my hands frequently and keep social distancing.” She is also fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and daily encourages others to follow suit.
To those who are reluctant she urges, “Take the vaccine because that is the only way to avoid the worst form of the illness.” Instead of being deterred by the dreaded disease, Dr. Garcia said that “it has caused me to be more dedicated to my patients.”
With her loving family
ADOPTED HOME
Dr. Garcia, who hails from Cuba, has been a Consultant Radiologist for the past 17 years and for the latter three, she has been serving in the capacity of Head of the Medical Imaging Department at the GPHC. She revealed that her role there, in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, is to provide the x-ray report for infected patients and ensure that ultrasounds are done when the need arises.
Offering a sneak peek into her past, Dr. Garcia, who was ushered into the world on February 20, 1971, said that she is the youngest of six children born to her parents (now deceased) – Erlinda Garcia (mother) and Eugenio Aguilera (father) – in Cuba.She revealed that although she was long a lover of music, “I decided to study medicine because I like to help people to recover to good health.” Her field of choice was Radiology, which she pursued at the School of the Medicine of Santiago de Cuba (Saturnino Lora Hospital).
Dr. Garcia in work mode
A radiologist, she eagerly explained, is a doctor with complete academic training that allows him/her to make a diagnosis, establish differential diagnoses, evaluate the extent of diseases, and provide the treating physician with guidelines for the best treatment.It was in the year 2011 that Dr. Garcia decided to take up residence in our dear land. Making the life-changing move with Dr. Garcia was her loving family, which includes her husband, Alberto Perez Hechavarria, a businessman, and her two daughters, Tatyane Perez Aguilera, the older, who has chosen the field of medicine like her mother, and Thalia Perez Aguilera, who currently attends the School of the Nations.
A photo opportunity with some of her colleagues
RADIOLOGY WEEK
In addition to providing her usual services to the GPHC, Dr. Garcia, along with her colleagues in radiology, will this week be aiming to raise awareness about their field of work in observance of Radiology Week. The week’s observance is one that aims to celebrate the important role medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals play in patient care and health care safety.
To recognise the hard-working members of the GPHC’s radiology team, Dr. Garcia said that plans have been made to honour them in a small but significant way throughout this week even as efforts are made simultaneously to sustain the valiant fight against COVID-19.
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