General health check for Enmore polyclinic clients

When persons visit the Enmore polyclinic in relation to any ailment they will be given a general health check.

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday launched the Integrated Management of Adolescent and Adult Illness (IMAI) programme which aims at diagnosing and treating illnesses early.

The programme was first introduced at the Enmore Polyclinic in the presence of Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy and the IMAI team including implementation representative Dr Julian Amsterdam and Dr Nichole Nedd Jarrick.

Over the next few months, doctors, nurses and ancillary staff at the clinic will be undergoing IMAI training for a full understanding of the programme and its various components, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. Modules on the programme will be made available. On its completion, the ministry plans to use the Enmore clinic to train other interns and stakeholders. It said too HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), diabetes and hypertension are among some of the major communicable diseases and chronic illnesses that the programme will address.

According to Ramsammy the Enmore Polyclinic is one of the best examples of a health facility in Guyana. Not only is it a reliable place for persons seeking medical care but the staff demonstrate their commitment and dedication.

The minister said he is confident that the IMAI programme will be successful. “Every time an individual comes to us, we see that person as a whole and not only treat them with their symptoms. So if a person comes because they have an abrasion we will be looking to see what other problems they have, hence the name an integrated management of all the illnesses,” Ramsammy said.

In his address to the Clinic’s staff, Ramsammy said the programme should not be seen as something new but a merger of different skills. “We already know how to manage diabetes, TB, hypertension coughs and colds, but we must know how to merge these separate skills,” he said.

Dr Amsterdam, who is also attached to the Malaria Programme at the Georgetown hospital, is optimistic that the programme will be effective when it becomes fully operational in July. He added that so far the management of HIV/AIDS and TB at the Clinic has been effective but with the implementation of the IMAI programme major improvements in the management and treatment of patients with various conditions are expected.

The Enmore Polyclinic became an official HIV/AIDS treatment and care site on January 15, Dr Jerrick said. She said the IMAI initiative will aid in strengthening the Polyclinic’s services to residents of the community and its environs.

According to GINA, all of the ministry’s health facilities will implement the IMAI programme.