22 New Licensed Health Facilities
─ Goal is to provide population with the best possible care – Dr. Shamdeo Persaud.
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, March 23, 2019
The Ministry of Health’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, issued 22 facility licenses to health centres which have passed the requirements of medical inspections conducted by the Central Board of Health.
This distribution was done on Friday, March 22 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Blood Blank Boardroom. These certified institutions were among the 94 applications that were processed last year. They included both public and private health facilities in Guyana.
The CMO said that all medical institutions in Guyana should comply with at least the minimum standard to be able to attain facility license. The requirements include an adequate waiting area at the facilities, comfortable and confidential rooms for patients, also sufficient and healthy meals for patients. However, special institutions require special scrutiny. Organisations such as PAHO have been contributing to this special kind of initiative.
“Ideally, we prefer to have all our facilities licensed by the first of January of every year. As part of that, we also require that all the other requirements are met. Which include that the practitioners who work in those facilities, they also must be licensed.”
The CMO also said that these licensed institutions will be listed at a later date on the Ministry of Public Health’s WEB page to assist doctors who are restricted to performing certain services to direct their patients to institutions that can better aid them. Noting that he and his team are working very hard to ensure that all public facilities also surpass these requirements.
Meanwhile, the representatives of the newly licensed health facilities on Friday expressed gratitude for the opportunity to expand their services in medical assistance to their patients.
Doctor Vivekanand Bridgemohan from Demerara Paradise Inc was one of these doctors. “It was a very good initiative. For the first time, we are having our license this early to ensure that our health facilities are licensed and to also ensure the best for the Guyanese people”.
Some of the new licensed health institutions are, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and Resident Care, ANK regional Care, Dr. Balwant Singh’s hospital, Woodlands hospital and the Guyana Responsible Parent Association.
Alleya Hamilton.
Images: Giovani Gajie.