Passionate about medicine, compassionate about people

― Dr. Kezia Gordon seeks to impact health sector

DPI, Guyana, Friday, March 8, 2019

Thirty-one-year-old paediatric resident at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Dr. Kezia Gordon, has endeavoured since childhood, to be a part of a health system, contributing to saving lives. This young doctor who hails from Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara is making a deliberate attempt to impact her sector.

The budding paediatrician has been in the medical profession for six years and counting. Speaking with the Department of Public Information, Dr. Gordon explained that since the death of a family member as a result of a heart complication, she chose to professionally pursue a medical career.

“My main inspiration came when my older sister died from a cardiac defect. I later learned it was a cardiac defect, but we were initially told she had a hole in her heart… so that pushed me into wanting to find out why and if I could help other people in her position.” Dr. Gordon explained.

She added that her love for children has given her the desire to specialise in the field catering specifically to children.  “Paediatrics combines my two loves, medicine and children.”

After completing medical education at the Latin-America School of Medicine in Cuba and graduating from the Cuba-Guyana medical programme in 2013, Dr. Gordon worked in several areas. She completed a brief stint at the Mahdia Regional Hospital and also worked at West Demerara Regional Hospital, Leonora Cottage Hospital and the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. She also served as Doctor-in-charge for two years at the Grove Health Centre.

The road to becoming a doctor for her had its fair share of challenges. Just when she thought that being a female medical doctor was a norm, she was surprised by one of her patients who refused to take a diagnosis from her.

“When I started my internship, it was the first time I confronted this. A patient came to us and I was in the room with a male nurse and I explained to the patient the diagnosis and the treatment. The patient then told me ‘no I want that doctor to tell me what he thinks.’ I was taken back because that was the nurse, but he preferred to listen to the nurse than to me.”

Despite this Dr. Gordon forged ahead, fueled by passion and love for her job, refusing to be discouraged by the challenges she faced. She maintained that regardless of the situation, building pleasant relationships with patients is the first step to their healing.

She encourages young women to hold fast to a belief, one which can serve as inspiration and couple this with hard work to guarantee success.

“It’s important to first of all trust God and see him for your encouragement, for your inspiration and two it’s very important to work hard because success is not achieved any other way, there is no shortcut.”

Delicia Haynes

Images: Ackeem Thomas