Improved psychiatric care, complete with a new psychiatrist, has been assured for Region Seven and this development is expected to take effect by the end of this year.
This is according to Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence who revealed that the region’s proposed psychiatrist is one of four young doctors currently specialising in psychiatry in Cuba. With a psychiatrist assigned to the indigenous community of St. Mary’s, Region Seven will finally experience continuous psychiatric speciality care and real health solutions, the minister posited.
She also revealed that her ministry has also trained all of its general medical officers (GMOs) in basic psychiatric care. According to Lawrence, this means that “any doctor you go to now has the ability to recognise if you need special care [and provide basic treatment options].”
Minister Lawrence also announced that Region Nine has recently trained an additional 32 community health workers from 16 villages across the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region.
“We are working towards ensuring that Guyanese are the healthiest they can be,” the Public Health Minister asserted. She added, “The government has been putting a lot of money into health because it recognises the importance of decentralising health services so that all regions have accessible and affordable quality health services.”
The Public Health Ministry has been sending specialist doctors from the coast to regional hospitals in order to improve the quality of service these residents receive.
All of these initiatives, Minister Lawrence said, are a testimony of government’s commitment to ensuring the disparities that exist between the hinterland and the coast are eventually eradicated to allow all Guyanese to have equal access to all services regardless of geography.
