Wakenaam Hospital needs a better system

Dear Editor,

The Government of Guyana is asking us to return to Guyana and serve our beautiful country. I admired and accepted this call, and on my return I was amazed at the development and investment on the island of Wakenaam – the roads, hospital and even an airstrip together with the drainage and irrigation systems. Over the past year I made no less than four visits in an effort to restart my rice cultivation and to expand my cattle rearing.

What struck me most is that the government has built  a mortuary catering for the dead costing millions in the hospital compound and it is yet to be opened and put into use after two years.  I wonder if this will be the position with the Lab that was recently built. Another point to note is that as soon as a patient arrives at the hospital they and their relatives are told to arrange for a boat to go to either the Suddie Hospital or West Demerara Hospital.

There are two porters, both of whom work from 7 am to 3 pm, but after that there is no porter working at the hospital, while the security guard has his own duties to perform plus those of a porter and messenger calling the hospital personnel whenever a patient arrives especially at night.

I feel there is need for a better system for managing the affairs of the hospital. Many days the Medex cannot see any patient until after nine o’clock when the clerk arrives and gets out the patient’s card. There is also a need for more porters (two) so that there can be porters on a twenty-four hour basis every day.

I hope the Ministry of Health and those concerned will see my letter and take action to remedy the situation before it gets worse and before my return to Guyana, my beautiful homeland.

Yours faithfully,
Seenarine Singh