Govt. in talks with Mount Sinai to develop Brachytherapy unit in Guyana

Apr 14, 2024 News

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

Kaieteur News – The Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Health has been in talks with representatives of the Mount Sinai Health System in New York with the aim of developing a Brachytherapy Unit for Guyana, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony revealed.

Dr. Anthony made the disclosure on Friday while speaking at the launch of a new Action Plan (2024-2030) for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Guyana.

The minister said that while cervical cancer is the second most deadly cancer among women in Guyana, its treatment comes in different forms. In some cases, surgery is done while it will require brachytherapy.

According to research, Brachytherapy is a type of internal radiation therapy that is often used to treat cancers of the head and neck, breast, cervix, prostate, and eye.

“Right now, we don’t have brachytherapy available in the country. But this is one of the commitments that we have made as a government that we’ll ensure that we can provide brachytherapy. So, we’re in the process right now, we’ve been talking to some partners like Mount Sinai to help us to design what that brachytherapy unit should look like and what are the types of equipment that we’ll need to have,” he related.

According to the Health Minister, once the ministry’s partners provide the support, the government will ensure all is in place to facilitate the establishment of the unit.

The minister disclosed that currently persons who need Brachytherapy travel to Trinidad and Tobago or Suriname to receive same.

“You can imagine the inconvenience to those persons. So, we want to make sure that that service is offered right here,” he expressed.

Dr. Anthony said that the ministry’s comprehensive strategy which was launched on Friday and looks at ramping up Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, testing, screening, and bringing awareness across the country will address from prevention and treatment.

Kaieteur News had reported that the plan was designed to ensure that more Guyanese women survive cervical cancer and can continue to live productive lives and contribute meaningfully to society.

Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases Unit and Mental Health Programme at the Ministry, Dr. Lachmie Lall who provided an overview of the new strategy said, “This strategic plan is well rounded and ambitious with a multifaceted approach that has the potential to significantly reduce and eliminate the burden of this disease and to improve the outcomes for Guyanese women. Our overarching goal is simple, by the year 2030 we aim to significantly reduce the mortality, morbidity, and disability cause by cervical cancer among Guyanese women.”

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