The health sector faces a number of challenges, Amir said, noting that even in the best of places “things happen”. However, he said it was unfortunate that certain things have to happen before many of the shortcomings are addressed.
Amir, the newly elected chairman of the Council, told Stabroek News in an interview on Friday that certain questions could (reasonably) be asked based on what has been happening including, what has been done to reduce the number of maternal deaths and how effective has the change been?
Pointing to public perception, he said, many people are of the belief that graduate doctors just out of medical school are not able to manage certain situations. This view, he said, is a reasonable one given that questions are repeatedly asked as to whether health professionals are serving the population adequately.
Amir continued, “Are we equipped to deal with some emergencies [when they arise]…? Can we adequately put specialized doctors in all locations?” He noted that the ideal differs from the reality because of issues with staffing, among other things. He observed that the lack of specialist doctors in the system is a factor in how it performs.
Amir pointed to the fact that many Guyanese specialists are working abroad, noting that they leave to get qualified and often opt to stay overseas. As a result, this country has been depending on foreign assistance from several countries including India, China and Cuba. However, he said the health sector is not the only one facing this problem.
According to Amir, the country continues to grapple with the issue of retaining skilled labour in various sectors. He said the issue should be discussed at the national level to determine what exactly is keeping people away. “Is it a problem with salaries, with living conditions, crime or politics? Or could it be that when people get the opportunity to migrate they leave?”
Amir said the issues in the health sector are not simply in obstetrics. He pointed to the fact that the country at present has only one urologist in the public health system. There are three in total in the country. He said patients in urology account for about one-third of the patients in general surgery. But training is ongoing in the sector, he said, adding that a current general surgery programme will create registrars in the system, who will function in regional hospitals and clinics; registrars function below the level of specialists.
Conduct
Amir said a lot of reports continue to surface about the conduct of doctors in the health sector and according to him, “it is unfortunate” because the profession is supposed to be a prestigious one which serves the public. He said that when patients are in discomfort their disposition and behaviour will not be the normal. Some patients, he noted, are simply difficult on any day.
Amir said his practice has afforded him the opportunity to work in other countries and he pointed out that how people behave in those countries differs from what happens here. Some patients, he said, behave as if they have a right to service ahead of others.
Still, he said, doctors, particularly junior doctors, have to be constantly reminded how to talk to patients and to their relatives. He said some people get the impression that when they graduate as doctors “they have arrived”. Amir added that doctors need to talk with patients and be open with them about their condition and prognosis.
Past council
Further, Amir said he is aware of how some people perceive the medical council, particularly after the incident involving the doctor and the tortured teen. However, he said, the council functions in accordance with a mandate and “we go by the rules”. He said whether some people have faith in the council and the manner in which it operates is “an issue”, but he emphasized that the council cannot be guided by the public.
He said the new council is hoping that it would be able to do its work and that whatever decision is reached in a particular matter, “will stand up to any scrutiny”.
