All Regional Hospitals to have Medical Superintendents

GINA, GUYANA, Monday, January 23, 2017

The Ministry of Public Health through its department of Regional Health Services, in an effort to ensure that quality healthcare provided in all regions of Guyana, will have a Medical Superintendent (MS) placed in all regional hospitals. This is in keeping with some of the main projections included for the year 2017.

The Medical Superintendent is responsible for the medical aspect of the day to day functions of the hospital. The superintendent plans, organises, directs, controls and coordinates medical programmes and clinical services in a hospital while maintaining standards of medical care, providing leadership to ensure an appropriately skilled medical workforce.

The addition of Medical Superintendents will complement the full suite of specialist doctors that will be placed at every regional hospital in the country. The Regional Health Services department of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) saw it fit in 2016 to equip each regional hospital with a General Surgeon, an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist, an Internal Medicine Specialist and a Pediatrician.

This projection for 2017 is set to provide better management of General Medical Officers (GMOs) in varying capacities at regional hospitals.

One of the challenges faced by the ministry in responding to outbreaks in 2016 was the shortage of trained health personnel to conduct outbreak investigations especially in the hinterland. The presence of Medical Superintendents at regional hospitals will contribute to more timely responses to any outbreaks and provide better treatment care for emergency cases.

Other projections on staffing of regional hospitals and medical facilities include the review of the human resource gaps to have specialists at all Regional Hospitals, equipping and upgrading of district hospitals with necessary staff to deliver the full suite of mandated services and the availability of a national biomedical service provider to effect timely repairs and maintenance to equipment.

With the addition of Medical Superintendents at all regional hospitals, each hospital will have one Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Administrative Officer to support the MS in ensuring that the other aspects and needs of the regional hospitals are met.

 

By: Delicia Haynes