Patients overwhelmed by persistent pain are being urged to take advantage of the Pain Clinic at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]. The relatively new addition to the country’s premier public health institution will, like all others, be available at no cost to patients.
Speaking of the Pain Clinic was Anaesthetist attached to the GPHC, Dr. Alexandra Harvey. According to Dr. Harvey, too many people are not yet aware of the existence of the Clinic. She moreover sought to promote this service during a sensitisation event held at the GPHC to commemorate World Anaesthesia Day.
Dr. Harvey disclosed that patients who suffer from chronic back pains, or those who have endured pain because of a motor vehicle accident can seek help at the GPHC’s Pain Clinic. The Anaesthetist underscored that it is important to raise awareness about this new facility since many people have been suffering without knowledge of where they can access help.
The Pain Clinic is one that will be managed by Anaesthetists. Anaesthetists are specialist doctors who are responsible for providing anaesthesia to patients during surgical procedures. However, even prior to the introduction of the Clinic, Dr. Harvey said that Anaesthetists, like herself, have been providing treatment to patients suffering with pain who visited the GPHC. The introduction of the Clinic is to afford a dedicated area to treat with patients suffering from pain.
But there is more to the field of Anaesthesia than just addressing the issue of pain. “Anaesthesiology involves more than just taking away pain…we do different types of anaesthesiology such as general as well as partial but another aspect we want people to know about is the work we do in the Intensive Care Unit and we also are very involved in CPR too,” said Dr. Harvey. According to her, it is the anaesthetist who has a role in helping patients to manage their pain. In addition to the relief of pain, anaesthesiology involves the total care of the surgical patients before, during and after surgery.
