Latest update June 7th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 12, 2010 Editorial
Regional surgeons are meeting in Guyana for the eighth annual meeting. These forums are more than just meetings and talk shops. They expose the various surgeons to developments in techniques; they allow for a meeting of minds on matters of health and more than anything else, they bring together the best in the field for discussions that redound to the benefit of the ordinary people.
On Thursday, one of the leading surgeons in the region and one who has made his mark on the international scene, remarked that while the region lacks the communication network that would allow some surgeons to talk the less equipped through technical surgical interventions, they do create opportunities for the exchange of each other’s patients.
But what was the most remarkable were the innovations in the field by the local surgeons. We have been taught that everything good can only come from overseas; that our own are second best. This belief has spurred many to seek medical treatment overseas.
Guyanese have been known to contribute to a scheme that allows them and their families to be evacuated for medical treatment at selected hospitals overseas. Many of these encounter doctors who have come from this part of the world but they still feel safe because they are in a developed country. A discourse with the visiting surgeons revealed that Guyanese surgeons have made significant innovations to the world of medicine. Dr Deen Sharma has given the world new measures of prostate operations.
Every surgery leads to a measure of bleeding. Dr Sharma has given the world a technique that drastically reduces surgical bleeding.
This would not be readily known because doctors are not known to sing their praises nor are the reporters in Guyana known to ferret out stories. The result is that no matter how skilled, doctors remain largely unknown and unheralded. The current meeting of surgeons would be most meaningful for the young doctors whose career still lies ahead of them. These are the people who stand to benefit the most. They are going to have access to the tried and proven regional surgeons who can explain certain techniques sometimes better that they could have explained in a classroom.
It has taken eight years for the Caribbean College of Surgeons to come to Guyana and this tells a story in many parts. In the first part it must have been a case that Guyana did not command much of a respect in medical circles.
Another aspect must have had to do with accommodation. Today Guyana boasts adequate accommodation for any forum and for any occasion.
The third aspect has to do with the fact that locally trained doctors do not readily seek the greener pastures, preferring instead to qualify themselves as far as possible in the region. And the region does offer such services.
The University of the West Indies became the first institution to train surgeons in the region and it has been doing this for some four decades. It is true that the cost may be prohibitive to some of the locals although in the not too distant past, the government sponsored scholarships to Cave Hill in Barbados and Mona in Jamaica.
Indeed some of the Guyanese trained at those facilities are among the best in the region. They are leading cardiologists, and some of the best in thoracic surgery in any part of the world.
But what about those who left for the greener pastures? They are coming back and providing the country with the benefit of their skills. Some volunteer their services to train the young but from reports the authorities are slow to put such training opportunities in place.
It is unfortunate that the visiting surgeons may not find time to conduct workshops for the young professionals in our midst but suffice it to say that all told, nearly 50 papers on various aspects would be presented. We hope that these papers do the local rounds, if only for the benefit of our future surgeons.
Show the proof Jagdeo
Jun 07, 2024
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