Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo yesterday announced that the government has granted permission to private health facilities to conduct testing for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to treat confirmed cases.
“We have now given the green light for the private hospitals to import their own testing kits so that you can supplement and do rapid testing, both state and non-state institutions,” Nagamootoo said.
He made the announcement during a virtual press conference held yesterday to discuss the work of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) and the restrictions on the public for the Easter weekend. Nagamootoo is the Chairman of the NCTF.
“The original concern is that government cannot be a monopoly in testing and private institutions should be allowed…the private institutions are being brought into play and they are now a partner. Since they are private institutions, they may very well work out the conditions under which they do such testing with patients who may prefer to go to a private institution rather than to go to a public institution where everything is done free. So, there is a difference between the mode of operation of either of the two institutions but yes in a situation of an emergency, I would think that it is feasible in fact for me it is reasonable for private institutions to seek a kind of support from the state in terms of doing the test and even doing the treatment and management of positive cases,” Nagamootoo explained.
He added that the private hospitals are also being approached to designate spaces for treatment and management of COVID-19 cases.
PCR testing
This development came days after Minister of Public Heath Volda Lawrence had disclosed that the ministry was considering bringing private health facilities onboard to conduct testing for the disease. Medical experts have said that this should have already been done by the Ministry.
On Tuesday, the Department of Public Information (DPI) had reported Lawrence saying that the process, which is a part of a public-private partnership with private hospitals, has already been initiated.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud was tasked of contacting the private hospitals to discuss testing and their readiness to deal with COVID-19.
“We recognize and we know that there are many Guyanese who usually seek care at private health facilities. We want to ensure that we can work with these private entities to ensure that they can provide these services,” Lawrence had said.
She had further explained that it is not the view of the Ministry that the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) should be the only facility designated for testing, while noting that the ministry was working with guidelines set by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
Guyana began testing for COVID-19 on February 26 and recorded its first case on March 11.
Presently, Guyana has a total of 1,800 COVID-19 testing kits, which were donated by the PAHO/WHO.
Lawrence had stated that presently, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is proven effective at testing for the disease and that any facility that wishes to begin testing must be able to conduct this type of test.
If necessary, DPI said, the Ministry will share test kits with the private facilities and help them set up dedicated coronavirus Intensive Care Units. “This is everybody’s fight. We do not embrace the RAPID tests for the testing of COVID-19,” Lawrence had said.
As of yesterday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Guyana stood at 45. Six deaths have been officially linked to the virus.
