RHOs play critical role in COVID-19 vaccination campaign

−two-day Clinical Treatment Guidelines training opens

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony says Regional Health Officers (RHOs), play a critical role in guiding Government’s regional health programmes.

The RHOs roles have been maximised during the pandemic, the Minister said, at Tuesday’s opening of a two-day ‘Clinical Treatment Guidelines’ training session for RHOs across the country.

The training focuses on forms of treatment at different stages of the COVID-19 disease, with the guidelines being informed by decisions related to the diagnosis, management and care of patients in the local health system.  

“Over the last year or so, they have been several guidelines that were being used in the treatment of Covid and, as we can all appreciate, as we learn more about the disease, we keep changing these guidelines,” Dr. Anthony said.

The Minister said those changes were necessary as the scientists were still trying to understand the disease. However, now that there is a better understanding, a standard protocol is necessary.

“These guidelines were very important as when we scan across Guyana physicians were responding in different ways and perhaps that had to do with what they were reading, information they were getting. There might have even been unequal treatment across the country.

So, when we did these guidelines, the intention was to have standard protocol across the country, so regardless of what hospital you are going to, you will have a standard point of care,” he said.

And concerning the Government’s current COVID-19 immunisation campaign, Minister Anthony said collaboration is necessary for success, especially from the RHOs.

“It seems that we are in a race against time too, in terms of administering these vaccines. One of the things that we all want to do is to help to prevent the infection from occurring and if we are really going to get out of this pandemic, then vaccines are one way that can help us to do so.”

Minister Anthony said the overall gaol is to achieve herd immunity.

“To get there, most of the experts would say we probably have to immunise 70 to 80 per cent of our population. So, it’s going to be a challenge and therefore, one of the things that we want to encourage – all the doctors who are here – to help us to encourage people to take the vaccines.  We have 100,000 doses of vaccines in the country to administer to 50,000 people,” he said.   

Minister Anthony said while a lot of work is still to be done, he is confident that once that is done over the next few months, then Guyana could get a handle on Covid.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narine Singh, Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo, Director of Medical and Professional Services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Dr. Fawcett Jeffrey and PAHO/WHO Representative Dr. Luis Codina also attended the session.