Open-heart surgery patient ‘feeling alive again’

With a visible scar on his chest, tears in his eyes and a mouthful of praise for the medical team that operated on him, Guyana’s first open-heart surgery patient Manmohan Singh left the Georgetown Public Hospital yesterday as quietly as he went in.

The ride to his Better Hope, East Coast Demerara home takes roughly 45 minutes but Singh wanted it to be sooner. Going home and “feeling alive again” was on his mind since he checked into the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) one week ago.

“I am happy and thankful to God for he is good. The surgery went well, the medical team was excellent and I was blessed with the best nurses,” Singh said before his emotions overwhelmed him and tears flowed.

Singh, who worked as a security guard before his health deteriorated, said being part of history was something special but pointed out that he would give up the recognition that comes with it for some much needed assistance.

From the day he was diagnosed to now, Singh said his savings have been depleted, adding that his family and friends have “chipped in” more than he had hoped.

Over the next few weeks Singh is expected to follow the post-operative care guidelines the institute gave him in addition to regular check-ups at CHI with Dr. Haydock Wilson who was recently trained in the area of coronary post-operative care.

In another six weeks, three more patients are expected to have similar bypass surgeries at the CHI but in the case of one, valve replacement surgery. According to Chief Executive Officer of CHI, Dr. Gary Stephens, the door to open-heart surgery has been opened and it will remain open.

Having received the reports from the history-making medical team that operated on Singh on Saturday last, Dr. Stephens told Stabroek News in an interview that there are a few procedural issues to be corrected before they operate on the next open-heart patient, issues such as pre-and-post-operation procedures.

“They can be considered hiccups but these issues are specific to Guyana and it was our first surgery so we have identified them and are making the necessary changes before the next surgeries,” he said.

24-hour service

The CEO noted that since the surgery, one of the major accomplishments of CHI has been its capacity to offer 24-hour service.

He said patients can now call on the institute at any hour of the day and get a response. Additionally, they are in a position to collaborate on a referral basis with the public hospital and other private hospitals and clinics across the country.

Dr. Stephens noted that a patient who suffers a heart attack at any hospital can now be transferred to CHI for immediate care but pointed out that since space is an issue for them, the many patients will most likely be treated on location for a few hours before returning to their primary care doctors at the respective clinic or hospital.

CHI’s paediatric programme is among those that the institute will aggressively tackle over the next few months in addition to the pacemaker and defibrillator services.

He said they hope to have a paediatric cardiologist on staff by early next year.

Currently CHI is working on keeping its cost down since the institute intends to be competitive in the Caribbean region and to attract patients from outside of Guyana.

The CEO said the quality of the service being offered is routinely being improved in addition to the facilities being strengthened.

He noted that before CHI taps into the regional market, it must be able to undergo any kind of scrutiny and also be on par with the quality of service currently being offered in other countries. But Dr. Stephens is optimistic that CHI will soon branch out.