Maternal health improves: GPHC recorded fewer deaths, saved 79 women in 2024
The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) recorded a further decline in maternal deaths in 2024 when compared to the previous year.
According to GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Robbie Rambarran, this reflects a drastic improvement in the quality of the hospital’s maternal healthcare.
Speaking on Monday at GPHC’s year-end press conference at the Centre for Learning and Innovation, New Market Street, Georgetown, Rambarran said 10 maternal deaths occurred in 2023, making it “the lowest number of maternal deaths ever in the history of the GPHC.”
Of the 8 maternal deaths recorded in 2024, Rambarran said “each and every one of them was referred to us in a very critical state.”
A consultant for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Radha Sookraj, revealed that 79 women were saved from life-threatening maternal complications in 2024, compared to 303 the previous year.
“Our interventions, improved health care and dedication of all our staff in the department and the involvement of all the departments, have helped us to have 79 near misses in 2024,” she said.
There were 4,216 babies delivered 2024, a decline from the 4,857 deliveries in 2023. Of these deliveries, 2,821 were natural birth, a slight reduction of approximately 6 per cent when compared to 2023. There were 1,395 caesarean births in 2024 and 1,571 in 2023.
GPHC’s maternity unit had 7,333 admissions in 2024, marking an 8% increase when compared to 6,474 in 2023.
As of November 2024, 212 gynaecological surgeries were conducted at GPHC. Of these, 118 were emergency surgeries while 94 were elective procedures.
“Our clinic sees approximately 80 to 100 persons daily, both Obstetrics and Gynecological patients…and we have excelled in minimal invasive surgeries where patients have keyhole procedures…This is actually a game changer for us,” Sookraj added.
Two notable additions to GPHC’s maternal services were the establishment of a dedicated maternal intensive care unit (ICU) and a satellite pharmacy on the main floor of the hospital.
The new pharmacy was able to streamline operations and reduce wait times, thus easing the burden on maternal patients.
