Region 9 produces first batch of Pharmacy and Nursing Assistants

History was made on Friday as the first batch of newly trained Nursing and Pharmacy Assistants have graduated in Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) after completing a rigorous theoretical and practical training programme.

Some 27 Pharmacy and 31 Nursing Assistants successfully completed the programme and will soon be posted to the various health centres across the Rupununi region.

During the ceremony held at the Lethem Business Incubator Centre, Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony highlighted the importance of empathy as the government takes steps to revolutionise healthcare in Guyana.

He urged the newly minted healthcare workers to understand that they cannot work in health if they do not care about the patients who come to them.

“If we have people in the system, when the patients come and you don’t have any empathy, you don’t care, then we’ll have a problem and that’s one of the things that we want people to understand, that you can’t work in health if we’re going to have people who don’t care about the patients who come to us,” the health minister stressed.

Dr Anthony also charged those in the nursing profession to elevate themselves in the health field, as they have already taken the first step.

Meanwhile, Regional Health Officer, Dr Cerdel Mcwatt pointed out that healthcare services are being decentralised as part of the government’s initiative to provide quality services in outlying regions. 

As part of these efforts, the government will be constructing a new wing of the Lethem Regional Hospital, which will be providing ultrasounds, CT-scans among other critical services that are currently unavailable. In addition, district hospitals in Annai, Karasabai and Aishalton are being upgraded to Level Three facilities.

“We’re not just putting it on paper to say: here we have a level three facility, but there’s active construction of operating theatres, imaging services there; x-rays, ultrasounds in patient… we’ll complement that to ensure that these services are not only being provided but we will ensure that the skilled personnel – and this is a testimony and another promise being fulfilled,” the RHO stressed.

Also attending the ceremony was the Regional Chairman, Brian Allicock and managers of the training programmes.

The human resource pool within the health sector is being expanded as the government embarks on a gigantic programme to construct around 11 hospitals nationwide, including in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.

The government has also acknowledged the pressing need to decentralize secondary services and extend them to remote regions beyond Georgetown. This measure is aimed at addressing the hardships faced by people who have to travel long distances to access such services. The decentralization of secondary services will not only help in reducing the burden on the Georgeotwn Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) but will also improve the accessibility and quality of services for people residing in remote regions.