Persons suffering with heart disease may no longer have to worry about the cost of travelling abroad for required surgeries as the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in collaboration with the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) yesterday commissioned a new $2.1 billion Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.
Located in the compound of the GPHC, the new lab is said to be the largest and most advanced of its kind in the Caribbean and it is equipped to offer procedures, such as cardiac catheterizations, the insertion of cardiac stenches, pacemakers and defibrillators through the groin without open heart surgery.
However, according to Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton, the introduction of the new lab is not the final stage for the development of cardiovascular treatment facilities in Guyana as there are plans to eventually transform the lab into a fully functional hybrid lab, which would be capable of doing both open heart surgery and catheter-based cardiac interventions. This too, he said, would be the first hybrid lab in all of the Caribbean.
Norton, in his remarks, noted that the opening of the new lab has been long awaited and ultimately marks a remarkable achievement in the health sector and one which will allow authorities to take cardiac care in Guyana to a higher level.
He noted that while terminology is often used loosely, the new lab is indeed the “real McCoy” as it boasts General Electric’s most advanced cardiac intervention system available to date.
Giving some background on the indicators of heart disease, Norton noted that it is the number one cause of death globally, with an estimated 17.5 million people dying from it in 2012.
This, he said, represents 31% of all global deaths. A quarter of cardiac deaths, he added, occur in middle and low income countries, such as Guyana.
In working towards changing these figures, it was highlighted that a vast number of patients suffering from cardiac related diseases will now have a facility which uses state-of-the-art technology at their disposal.
“The Government of Guyana is cognizant of the need for cardiac care; the opening of this new lab will allow us to do just that. Therefore, I can openly say that this coalition government is committed to the people of Guyana in trying to advance that quality cardiac care in no uncertain terms,” Norton said.
He also reiterated the government’s commitment to work towards having all people of Guyana be among the healthiest in the Caribbean and Latin America by the year 2020 as stated in the APNU+AFC coalition’s 2015 manifesto prior to it being elected into office.
In the meantime, he urged everyone to acknowledge that they all have a role to play in reaching this goal, which according to him can be done by adopting healthier lifestyles and behaviours as it pertains to cardiovascular diseases and the risk factors, which include obesity, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and harmful consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
The minister used the opportunity to state that he has made it his personal goal to have the anti-tobacco bill be successfully passed in the National Assembly.
“Very soon, in the next two sittings perhaps, we could be tabling the anti-tobacco bill in Parliament. And I want to say that if there is any legacy that I would leave in my term in office, it is to get that bill successfully passed in Parliament,” he said.
Meanwhile, CEO of the GPHC Allan Johnson expressed his gratitude for the newest addition to the hospital, saying that the lab will make a difference with what is available for patients suffering from heart diseases.
He went on to express further gratitude to CHI for its continued support in this specific field, saying, “As long as CHI is here to stay, then our hearts will continue to be with CHI; the care of our hearts will continue to be with CHI.”
Johnson also expressed the hope that as the time goes by and the development of the lab continues, the GPHC will look forward to having persons coming from all around the Caribbean and even Latin America to have their surgeries done.
