| Last week was quite eventful at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC),Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, Guyana’s premierGPHC’s CEO,Mr Michael Khanpublic health delivery institution.While the institution has been known to make the news for several worrying infant and maternal deaths, some of which could have been prevented, it has over the years been able to boast many laudable achievements.But during the past week, the institution was faced with issues of concerns that aren’t regular features in the media. Protest action by nurses to retaliate against the termination of the hospital’s Matron was among the issues of concerns that were publicised.Gaining less attention was the overcrowding situation at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit (A&E). This is by no means a new development, but according to reports reaching this publication, things morphed into a troubling state of affairs last week Tuesday.As doctors and nurses attended to an influx of patients,Cheap NFL Jerseys, some became concerned that the pace of the medical practitioners were not nearly swift enough. The situation, this publication understands, enraged one man who became convinced that medical attention to his ailing relative was not happening nearly fast enough.The man stormed the patient care area hurling threats. Several medical practitioners ran for cover and remained secreted until the man was arrested.But according to Chief Executive Officer, Mr Michael Khan, battling the overcrowding situation at the hospital has been a prolonged struggle. Several recommendations, this publication understands, were made to have the situation addressed urgently.The entrance to the GPHC’s A & E UnitBut correcting it has simply not been an easy task, Khan confided.“I got a call from the Minister (Dr George Norton) about overcrowding at A & E Tuesday night…this is an issue that we know we have to look at,NFL Jerseys Wholesale,” Khan asserted. He pointed out that every effort is made by the doctors in the department to ensure that patients do not remain in the department longer than is necessary.Following the incident on Tuesday, Khan said that Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr Sheik Amir, met with A&E doctors to discuss the way forward in the overcrowding issue.But the doctors of that Unit, the CEO explained, cannot be faulted for the situation.Not only is the GPHC’s A&E Unit forced to see more than its fair share of clients,Cheap NHL Adidas Jerseys, since many patients opt to be attended to there, rather than at regional facilities, Khan also pointed out that the service offered is based on a triage system.Triage means that the condition of each patient is assessed upon their arrival at the health facility to ascertain the urgency of medical attention.“Sometimes people with coughs and colds want to be treated before other people (with emergency conditions),” said Khan, as he related witnessing a patient (with a non-life threatening situation) becoming outraged after medical officials gave priority to a stab wound patient.“People have to understand what an emergency room is all about,” said Khan as he spoke of the need for more patients to visit the health centres nearest them.“They don’t have to come here (GPHC) for a simple police report (medical),” said Khan while mentioning a strategic tactic he implemented some time ago to help tackle the overcrowding.According to Khan,Authentic Atlanta Falcons Jersey, under his guidance, moves were made to take the reins of several health centres, including the Campbellville Health Centre,Wholesale Jerseys, that are all performing laudably.The Campbellville Health Centre is rated as one of the better performing public health facilities in the country.“I am in the process of looking at another health centre, but we have to do some monitoring and make the proposal to the Minister of Health before we can take it over,” said Khan, as he reiterated the need for proper functioning health centres across the country in order to reduce the pressure on the GPHC.In this quest, he said that efforts are being made to extend the operating hours of the health centres, at least a few days a week. This is in light of the fact, Khan noted, that “we recognise that many people work and sometimes when they work in a private sector (company) they end up losing the day’s pay (when they visit the hospital) and that should not be.”“(GPHC) Management felt the need to make sure that these people are attended to at their convenience. We must not sit down in our little kingdom and have people come to us…we must go to them, and that is what drives me,” said Khan, who has functioned as GPHC’s CEO for close to a decade.As he underscored that his primary aim is to “ensure that people get treated promptly,” Khan turned his attention to the hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, which he labelled as another of his “pride and joy.” He said that while this department too has been challenged by a purported overcrowding situation, he is optimistic that in the coming year, overcrowding will become a thing of the past.He explained that the situation is one that can be considered systematic, since the regional hospitals are not staffed properly, thus resulting in too many patients having to seek care at GPHC instead.“If they had gynaecologists we wouldn’t have that problem, but in our master plan, which we have explained to the Minister, from 2016 and onwards we will be getting graduates from the OB/GYN programme who will be going to the peripheral hospitals to boost their capabilities there,” Khan said. |
