“We have made progress, we are not at a standstill” – PM Nagamootoo at Screening of Born Blue Documentary

GEORGETOWN –   The Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the High Commission of Canada last evening hosted a screening of a television documentary, “Born Blue”, on cardiac care in Guyana.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who is performing the duties of the President, during his remarks at the event held at Cara Lodge related that he was moved by the documentary, and lessons can be drawn from such a screening.

Health, the Prime Minister said, is what concerns us and how we respond to needs of our society is paramount. He noted that there are challenges in Guyana, “we still remain all these years with limited resources hence the partnerships between Ministry of Public Health and University of Calgary, Canada.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo explained further that he understands the need for the health sector to have more trained personnel and made the appeal to the private sector to assist the GPHC to maintain the program for Advanced Cardiac Care.

“We have made progress, we are not at a standstill”, Prime Minister highlighted.

The Guyana Program for Advanced Cardiac Care (GPACC) was developed and implemented under the direction of University of Calgary specialists Dr Debra Isaac and Dr J. Wayne Warnica. Through this program, Guyana’s first publicly owned, state of the art, fully functioning Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) was established at GPHC. The CICU was officially opened by the then Minister of Public Health Hon Dr George Norton in December, 2016, at GPHC.

Giving a brief overview of the Guyana Program for Advance Cardiac Care Dr. Isaac explained that sustainability is definitely needed. She noted that the first program started June 2012 and to date have seen 120 surgeries and interventions done over a 24 months period.

High Commissioner of Canada, Pierre Giroux, related that the Government of Canada is committed to support a worthy cause and he is proud the partnership between Guyana and Canada in cardiac care. The screening, he said, showcases their interventions to try to change the course of cardiac diseases here in Guyana.

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, explained that the documentary, “Born Blue”, focuses on the challenges and successes of the Guyana’s public cardiac program. It is the collaborative efforts of Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the Guyana Program for Advance Cardiac Care (GPACC), and the Baby Heart Program. Minister Lawrence related the objectives of this activity are to raise awareness of Guyana’s Cardiac Program in the public health sector and attract support by way of funding from the Guyanese business community.