RemoteMD: Putting Guyanese at the centre of austere medical services for its multi-billion-dollar oil industry

Nov 28, 2021 News

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By Kiana Wilburg

Kaieteur News – From 2015 to now, most Guyanese have heard about the millions of dollars in revenue the nation’s 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources are poised to bring. But the conversation of the earnings to come along with what has already been perceived oftentimes eclipses the need to discuss the clear and present danger associated with oil and gas exploration and development. Indeed, the hunt for hydrocarbons is one of the riskiest ventures one can be involved in and it is for this most poignant fact that health and safety services must be unparalleled in their delivery.

Hoping to help Guyanese lead the way in providing the proficient medical services needed for this sector is RemoteMD, one of the world’s leading and most experienced health care providers which is headquartered in New Orleans. The company was founded more than 20 years ago as a revolutionary concept in healthcare by merging technology with medicine and training for the oil industry. In fact, RemoteMD has pioneered the delivery of industrial austere medical services from Guyana to China, onshore and offshore, and practically, on every continent.
Two of its representatives, Mr. Mashaun Tyrell, Director of International Medical Services, and Mr. Erico Raimundi, Director of Sales and Business Development, recently sat down for an arguably insightful discourse on Kaieteur Radio’s Programme, Guyana’s Oil and You, on the importance of being prepared for emergency response offshore and having locals be an integral part of that process.
Speaking to the genesis of the company, Raimundi noted that the company was born out of a need that was seen in oil and gas around medical care, especially as it relates to ensuring crew members are able to receive the best services possible while working under the most complex environment.
“Our founder, Dr. Michael Kotler, took note of the need in the industry and started to address it, and the initial phases of his addressing it, there was keen focus on training. So it was about how do we get the medical personnel that provide care out there trained better, given higher awareness of industrial medicine, occupational health, and really starting to go down that road and bring them up to the next level,” expressed the Director of Sales and Business Development.
He explained that this was followed by the introduction of medical control systems and telemedicine system, “which really puts the provider that’s on the vessel in a better position to do his job; it gives them more support because now they have another physician in the room, really working with them and guiding them, just giving them more support.”
The Director further noted that the company and its founder have been consistent in their efforts to ensure international oil and gas standards are always followed while noting that this knowledge has been instrumental to their stellar delivery of services in response to several disasters in different environments. In this regard, the Director highlighted that RemoteMD’s founder was even directly involved in the emergency response that was needed for the tragic Deepwater Horizon incident. (An industrial disaster that began on 20 April, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. It was considered to be one of the largest marine oil spills in American history.)
He noted that the foregoing is testimony that the company has years of experience in dealing with some of the most dangerous situations that demand emergency health and safety services in the sector.

With Guyana’s aggressive development of its Stabroek Block resources, Director of International Medical Services, Mr. Mashaun Tyrell, said RemoteMD’s focus has been to partner with Guyanese and share its expertise on how to meet the international standards required for the industry. Tyrell shared that RemoteMD has been in Guyana for just over a year and already provides a number of key services. He said these include physical examinations, alcohol testing, TB quantifier testing, and since the emergence of the pandemic, COVID-19 testing too. “We’ve managed to push through over 4000 persons in our staging facilities with a zero contamination rate… and that’s at our Houston quarantine facility,” expressed the Director.
Though RemoteMD may be within the local oil and gas fabric for one year, Tyrell disclosed that it is one of the few companies that have already achieved 100 percent local content. In fact, RemoteMD has 22 Guyanese on its team. He alluded that this is a notable achievement even as the country continues its efforts towards the creation of a Local Content Policy buttressed by robust legislation. He also shared that the company is keen on staff development while citing himself as a case in point.
Tyrell shared, “When I first started at RemoteMD, I started out as a Medical Coordinator and I worked my way up the ladder and now I am in the management seat – the Director. So it’s not only limited to hiring Guyanese but once the employee or the individual has the potential to grow in the company, RemoteMD supports that individual. If we have vacancies available in the country, we do not import personnel, we utilise what we have.”
The Director added, “And if that person does fall short, where they don’t have the qualifications, RemoteMD provides the overseas training for that person and upon completion, they return to perform the function that they initially applied for. So RemoteMD is fully in support of local content and having our citizens develop themselves and grow within an international company.”
Adding to his colleague’s viewpoint, Raimundi intimated that the company is passionate about putting Guyanese first even though the nation’s legislative framework to govern its industry is still in its infancy. He said, “We always want to make sure that we as a company are investing where we’re operating because these effects are long-lasting, right… So, obviously oil and gas is very new in Guyana. It’s still somewhat in its infancy. So, as it grows, we want to expand the training, we want to make sure that the positive effects are felt.”
Expounding on the zeal of the company to train Guyanese, Tyrell noted that up skilling is also done for local transportation companies on COVID-19 protocols. In this regard, the Director said, “…We identify local transportation companies and we personally train all of the drivers in COVID-19 protocols as it relates to simply putting on a mask…and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)…”
Tyrell added, “They might not only be requested for work in the oil and gas industry; it might be just a simple passenger entering the car, or someone calling them to say, ‘Hey, I need to get this person to the hospital, but they have been diagnosed with COVID-19.’ With the training received, they would be equipped with the knowledge of how to professionally respond and just be safe.”
The Director noted that RemoteMD currently operates from its office at Lot 125, Barrack Street Kingston. Some of its ancillary services include Cholesterol Lab Testing, Diabetes Lab Testing, Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Flu Testing, Strep Testing, Urinalysis, TB Skin Testing and T-Spot Testing.
Given its outstanding performance thus far as a local content leader, both Tyrell and Raimundi are thrilled about the prospects of the company here, particularly as it relates to being a true partner with the government and its people in building a first-class petroleum industry.

 

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