GPHC midwives complete neonatal course

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in collaboration with the Guyana Burn and Healthcare Charitable Foundation Inc on Thursday presented certificates of participation to nine midwives who completed a three-day training course in Neonatal Resuscitation.

One week before International Nurses Week, volunteers from the Foundation also travelled to Guyana for their annual visit to continue its nursing education programme.

Midwives who participated in the course

This year’s training focused primarily on Neonatal Resuscitation, Paediatrics, use of the ECG machine and proper storage and sterilization of all surgical equipment, a press release from the GPHC said.

The Neonatal Resusci-tation course was hosted in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Paediatric Society and Obstetrics Emergency Drill: Shoulder Dystocia. Training was facilitated by Vernie Ally, RN, BScN, SCM, a certified NPR Instructor attached to the Foundation.

The midwives were assessed in both a written and practical exam where they achieved 100% passes, with the highest score of 98%.

The training aimed at boosting the midwives’ ability to efficiently care for neo-natal admissions warded in the newly refurbished Neonatal Unit, as the hospital strives to boost the capacity of its medical and nursing staff. Management is proud of the midwives achievement and the dedication they continue to demonstrate to providing quality healthcare, the press release said.  One of the primary facilitators of this year’s nurses training is Dr DG Jagdeo, MD, FAAP, FRCPC, a renowned Paediatric Specialist in Canada who will be giving hands-on demonstrations [practical training] in Paediatrics: Respiratory and Emergency Asthma. Dr Jagdeo is joined by Dr Leslie Fung, MD, who will be training nurses in the efficient use of the ECG machines, with practical reasons for same, and Ally, whose focus is on Neonatal Resuscitation, a course administered by the Canadian Paediatric Society. Dr Abdool Karim, BSc, MD, MBA is working with the hospital’s Central Supplies Sterilization Unit, lending his expertise in that area.

The GPHC is profoundly grateful to the Foundation for its continued partnership and provision of invaluable contributions, both tangible and educational, towards nursing education and the hospital, the release said.

The GPHC “management has observed that over the years the nurses whom it has trained have migrated with the skills that they would have acquired which results in the hospital having to retain nurses in various areas of expertise.” As such it is grateful to its partners, particularly the Foundation, for their continued interest and support in nursing education.

The sessions have boosted the capacity of the nurses and they are better able to deliver the quality health care which the GPHC aims to provide.

Coordinator of this year’s training Pamela Harakh urged the nurses to share their knowledge and skills with their colleagues and subordinates and to always exhibit kindness to the patients. “A kind word goes a long way in the recovery of these patients,” she said.