Improved health services at Agatash and Four miles

[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-gaXDw5K74″ width=”100%” height=”315″]

─ being more accessible to Bartica residents, surrounding areas

─ more emphasis being placed on preventative health care

DPI, Guyana, Monday, January 7, 2019

Residents of Agatash, Four Miles and surrounding districts are soon to benefit from improved health services as the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Services brings preventative health care practices to the fore.

Just recently, a supervisory team of Directors from the Ministry of Public Health, visited the Agatash and Four Miles Health Posts in Bartica to determine areas in healthcare delivery which can be improved. The team examined areas of primary health care particularly that related to maternal and child health and promoting preventative health care instead of a curative approach.

Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton examines Maternal and Child Health records with Community Health Worker (CHW) Wavney Austin at the Four Miles Health Post.

Dr. Kay Shako and Dr. Horace Cox [centre] interacts with staff of the Agatash Health Post.

According to Dr. Shako, who spearheaded visits to the health care facilities, “we are more concerned now with improving our primary health care because it deals with the more preventative aspect of health care and if we can zero in on prevention or preventative medicine rather than curative well then it means that we are going to reduce the high cost of health care that we have here in Guyana.”

Among other things, the team sought details regarding catchment areas, clinical records, immunization coverage, laboratory sample collecting, human resources and possible new services.

While health posts essentially offer level-one health services and do not cater for complex and critical cases, it was proposed that these two facilities be a hub for specific services while the staff benefit from training to upgrade their skills to better serve residents.

“There are some areas that we would want to zero in. Number one, that will be training for our staff within these areas so that they can provide a higher level of health care and persons can come and they can have a more targeted approach. We also want to provide the services in terms of the patients having their samples were taken off and testing being done here,” the Regional and Clinical Services Director added.

Also, the team looked at making services more accessible and available to residents instead of having them travel to Bartica for basic healthcare which includes treatment of the common cold among other outpatient services.

The visiting team consisted of Director of Regional and Clinical Services, Dr. Kay Shako, Director of Primary Healthcare, Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton, Director of Vector Control Services, Dr. Horace Cox and National Coordinator of Medical Laboratory Services, Joyce Whyte.

Briefly, after the visits, a meeting was convened by the Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence and the directors, Regional Chairman and Regional Executive Officer of Region Seven to charter the way forward in ensuring that new services can be facilitated in the region, especially at these two facilities.

By: Delicia Haynes.

Images: Jules Gibson.