Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony says the New Amsterdam Hospital will be outfitted with a laparoscopic suite for the conduct of minimally invasive surgeries. His announcement comes on the heels of the first laparoscopic common bile duct surgery conducted recently at the hospital.
“For New Amsterdam we have a lot of talented surgeons and this is just one example of what they can do. They don’t have the full suite of instruments that is necessary to perform these complex types of surgeries. So, the Government of Guyana has taken a decision that we are going to build a complete laparoscopic suite at the New Amsterdam Hospital. This will allow the hospital now to have the capability of doing very complex laparoscopic surgeries,” Dr. Anthony said.
Webmd.com says, “Laparoscopy takes its name from the laparoscope, a slender tool that has a tiny video camera and light on the end. When a surgeon inserts it through a small cut and into your body, they can look at a video monitor and see what’s happening inside you. Without those tools, they’d have to make a much larger opening. Thanks to special instruments, your surgeon won’t have to reach into your body, either. That also means less cutting.”
This method reduces blood loss, pain, and discomfort. Also, patients have fewer unwanted effects from analgesia because less is required.
Dr Anthony said yesterday that his ministry has seen fewer infections from this type of procedure.
“Complications from the surgery are far less. So, we think this is the way to go because people will spend less time in hospital, they’ll get very complicated surgeries but spend less time in hospital. They can heal quickly and get back to work fast.”
The theatres at the New Amsterdam Hospital are also being refurbished. In addition, there will be new recovery rooms and spaces for patients by the end of the year. The upgrade of the hospital will also be complemented by the construction of an Infectious Diseases Unit there. On Wednesday, a $41 million contract was signed by Navin and Sons Construction Company to build the facility that will better care for COVID-19 patients.
