New dialysis centre commissioned in Essequibo
– First patient expresses relief, will no longer have to travel to city for treatment
Residents of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) will no longer have to travel to Georgetown to access dialysis treatment, as a new dialysis centre was commissioned at the Suddie Regional Hospital on Monday.
The centre’s first dialysis patient, Rajendra Singh, expressed relief at this development.
“I used to travel from here to Georgetown sometimes three times a week, but because of the harassment of travelling, I could not afford to go three times, sometimes two. But now that we are getting it on the Essequibo coast, I’ll be able to go three times a week. It is also more affordable, so we are very grateful. It is a great initiative by the RHO and the government. Not only me, my family and many other persons who are dependent on this are very grateful,” he said.
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said the centre is a joint initiative between the Government of Guyana and the 5G Dialysis Centre, and is a response to the cries of Essequibo residents.
“It is important that we have dialysis because it is very inconvenient for people, traveling all the way to go up to Georgetown and then having to come back down. It is really problematic for people,” he said.
The minister emphasised the need for preventative measures to minimise the need for dialysis, stating that many dialysis patients are cases of persons who developed complications as a result of poorly managed diabetes.
“This is something that we have to work on, to make sure that we can prevent these complications from happening, and by doing so, we’ll prevent people from needing dialysis. But we are not going to get there in a hurry, and that’s why we need to provide dialysis across the country,” Dr Anthony explained.
Moreover, he said persons have been trained to provide these services and cater to those in need of dialysis in the area.
Regional Chairman Vilma DeSilva, said the administration is looking forward to building human capacity and expanding health services in the region.
“As a developing nation, I am happy to say that under the PPP/C Government, I doubt whether we would have to leave Guyana now for health services,” she stated.
Regional Health Officer for Region Two, Dr Ranjeev Singh, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narine Singh, Vice Chairman, Humace Oudit, Nephrologist attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr Hemchand Barran, Representative of the 5G Dialysis Centre, Osafo George, and Arnold Adams, Chairperson of the Health and Sanitation Committee, were also in attendance at the simple ceremony.