Chinese Medical Team making big impact in healthcare in Guyana

Jul 24, 2024 News

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– launches surgery week at GPHC

Kaieteur News – The 19th China Medical operating here believes that since coming to Guyana, they have made significant strides in boosting healthcare delivery and continues to admire the growth of their local counterparts in the …

The team on Monday opened what is dubbed Surgery Week at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The event will run until Friday and Guyanese can access a range of medical services by the team.

The Surgery Week event is a concentrated demonstration of the medical expertise of the 19th China Medical Team, showcasing the cooperative achievements between the Chinese and Guyanese doctors. It also allows for Guyanese to know more about the Chinese doctors, Dr. Zhao Changyong, the head of the China Medical Team told Kaieteur News in an interview.  He said the Chinese medical teams over the years have brought advanced medical technology to Guyana and the spirit of fearlessness of hardship and a willingness to sacrifice. He said with the establishment of numerous clinical centres and the application of many new technologies in practice, the healthcare level of Guyana has been significantly elevated.

Dr. Zhao is also a general surgeon with 23 years of clinical experience. He told the Kaieteur News that he is good at laparoscopic surgery, especially in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery. Serving as a consultant for Team 1 of the Department of General Surgery of Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Zhao is committed to leading his team in Guyana to treat critically ill patients in emergency situations. These cases include severe liver trauma shock patients, stab wounds to the head of the pancreas, portal vein penetrating injuries and abdominal aorta stab wounds, among others, saving the lives of many patients who were near death. He related that he has successfully performed Whipple surgery several times, which is the most difficult surgery in general surgery.

Pancreatic Cancer

He recalled a pancreatic cancer patient from Linden was told that he could not be operated on and ended up at his clinic. Dr. Zhao said he successfully completed the operation for the patient who thanked him and his team for their hard work. “When the patient left the hospital, he felt that he became a lucky person after meeting me and said the Chinese medical team was a gift from God to him,’ Dr. Zhao related.

Dr. Zhao said too that he promotes super-minimally invasive surgery, reducing the trauma of Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic appendectomy to the lowest possible level, with scars barely visible. Noting that he often selflessly shares his medical experience with Guyanese colleagues, focusing on training four local doctors, Dr. Zhao said he is not only a medical expert in China, but also an expert in medical quality control and department management.

Through donating specialised HBP surgical equipment, demonstrating surgeries, sharing perioperative management techniques, and standardising clinical paths and surgical quality control, Dr. Zhao believes he has contributed significantly to the development of GPHC’s hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery capabilities. He said the establishment of GPHC’s hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery division marks the first subspecialty in general surgery in Guyana, which will undoubtedly enhance the entire country’s diagnostic and treatment levels in hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases.

History of China Medical Team

Meanwhile, giving a brief history of the Chinese doctors’ involvement in Guyana Dr. Zhao said at the invitation of the Government of Guyana, the first China Medical Team arrived in Guyana on July 30, 1993, and was warmly welcomed by then Heath Minister, Gail Teixeira and later a cordial reception from then President Dr. Cheddi Jagan. “This marked the beginning of China’s first medical cooperation project with a government in South America. Over the past 31 years, the Chinese government has sent 19 medical teams and 279 experts to Guyana. Both sides have made significant progress and development in clinical medical exchanges and cooperation, medical education and training, public health, and other aspects, Dr. Zhao related.

He said the 19th China Medical Team of which he is the head arrived in Guyana in September 2023, replacing the 18th team and commencing their work in the country. The 14 medical experts of the 19th Chinese medical team closely cooperated with their counterparts in Guyana’s health sector at GPHC and Linden Hospital, treating nearly 13,000 patients and performing over 2,000 surgeries and surgical guidance. “During their rest periods, the team organised 14 free medical outreaches, extending medical services to the remote Amerindian villages “at their doorstep,” benefiting more than 3,400 people.

In response to the Ministry of Health’s requirement, the China Medical Team donated cervical cancer screening equipment and collaborated with the Guyanese government to launch the Guyana Cervical Cancer Screening Project. Upon invitation from the Ministry of Health, they also trained sample collectors and screening test doctors,” Dr. Zhao said. He said too that the China Medical Team also serves as an ambassador of friendship, participating in a variety of local activities during their spare time to experience the charm of diverse cultures and forging friendships.

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• Chinese Medical Team, expertise, Guyana, healthcare, Impact

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