Dr. Mahadeo lauds Health Ministry’s rehab services during pandemic

-at launch of rehab week 2021

By Shania Gonsalves

Director General of the Ministry of Health Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo has lauded the work of the ministry’s rehabilitation programme, which he said has been leading in the fight against COVID-19.

During the launch of ‘Rehab Week’ earlier today, Dr. Mahadeo said Guyanese need to be more informed about the service.

“This is one specialty that crosses all other specialties and we need to recognise that for too long in my mind, rehab services have not been given the recognition that they should get … and if we could utilise rehab services as we should, then we will achieve much more for our patients” Dr. Mahadeo said.

Director of Rehab Services Dr. Ariane Mangar said physiotherapists play a critical role when attending to the needs of COVID-19 patients, since they respond differently to the disease.

“Our rehab team has been working on the frontline during COVID-19 and are responsible for maintaining essential services in these unprecedented times…as we move forward, we need people to understand and value rehabilitation as a key to living long and healthy lives,” she said.

Dr. Mangar said workers attached to the COVID- 19 units are of the utmost importance to patients recovering from the disease. She noted that rehab departments have remained open during the pandemic to assist those persons. The service has also been made available in Regions One, Seven and Nine.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 survivor Mr. Neaz Subhan said he continued physiotherapy sessions even after he was discharged. He expressed gratitude to the rehab department for its work. 

Ms. Indira Lupuku, another survivor, shared similar sentiments.

“For those superheroes dressed in scrubs whose responsibility is addressing care, while needing care themselves and nursing the sick back to health when you needed to be tended to, take heart that your services have not gone unnoticed; there are many lives that you transformed, many lives that you helped prolonged, many lives you improved by your selfless interventions,” Ms. Lupuku said.

Rehab Week 2021 is being observed under the theme “Rehabilitation in the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic” and will run from June 20-26.