Diamond Hospital collaborates for medical outreaches… Initiative seeks to create interest in Diamond hospital

A number of residents living in far-flung and outlining areas are beginning to benefit from an initiative of the Diamond Hospital in collaboration with the Regional Health Department of RDC Region Four and the Cuban brigade sat the Diamond hospital. The initiative being undertaken are medically outreaches which is geared to taking health care and services to the people as the Regional Administration have recognized that fewer people are seeking health services at health institutions. Medical Superintendent of the Diamond Hospital, Dr Orlyn Collins in giving an overview of the outreach disclosed that the initiative was first birth at Pakuri formerly St Cuthbert’s Mission and they have now ventured to Kuru Kuru where they are seeking to address a barrage of health issues and concerns.

She disclosed that the intent of this outreach is basically to offer the public premium medical care. “We realized that some patients or residents in this area do not have easy access to medical care despite a health center being present within the community,” Dr. Collins said. She noted that based on a survey conducted, the hospital is aware of a number of concerns and issues that several members of the public have been experiencing at various health centers and institutions, thus they have sought to address this by taking the services to the people.

“Our primary focus here is to demonstrate to the public that we have not forgotten them as we still see them as being very important and that is why if they can’t come to us we are prepared to go to them, and hopefully not only with this outreach offered the medical attention that is needed but it would also raise patient awareness that the Diamond Hospital is still functioning and we are still very competent as we continue to deliver quality health care,” she reiterated. She said that the outreach seeks to help in opening the doors of Diamond Hospital to the general public so that the public can be aware of the many services being offered.

Dr. Marina Torrez, Director of Cuban Bridge at the Diamond Hospital said that the collaboration is one that her agency has been seeking for a while. She disclosed that some 30 Cuban medical practitioners from the Diamond Hospital were part of the outreach, which included some eleven specialists. Among some of the specialists were pediatricians, internal medicine, dermatologist,  “our objective is to give better care to the patients and to give the care with better conditions so that more people would seek to access Diamond Hospital for health care,” she said. Dr Torrez, however, disclosed that while they were able to see some 200 odd persons, the issue of diabetes continues to be a major concern noting that it dominated the issues that they dealt with. “We continue to see that more and more Guyanese are being affected by diabetes and this is because they are not recognizing the importance of paying attention to what they eat,” she stressed.

Dr. Collins added that while foot care isn’t a service being offered at the Diamond Hospital patients are usually referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where there is a specialist. “Our staff has not received training in foot care as yet but I can assure the public that as soon as we are, we would be adding that service of foot care to our list of services offered,” Dr Collins said.

However, she stated that to ensure the complete success of the outreach they sought to bring along a number of medications so as to ensure that persons could have access medications for their situation immediately.  It was disclosed that the hospital in collaboration with the Regional Democratic Council of Region Four Regional Health Officer and the Cuban brigade that an outreach would be undertaken every quarter. The next outreach has been slated for the community of Agricola.