Latest update February 16th, 2025 7:47 AM
Mar 01, 2017 News
…Deputy Regional Health Services Director and Deputy RHOs on the cards
“When we look at our health care system, what is being delivered is a mere fraction of what is to be delivered.” This assertion was yesterday made by Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Kay Shako, when she delivered welcoming
remarks at the start of the first Regional Health Officers and Programme Heads meeting.
At the meeting held at the Hadfield Street, Georgetown Regency Hotel, Dr. Shako disclosed that among the attributes of a good health care system is that it should be safe, effective, efficient, patient-centered, equitable and timely.
“If you examine those aims you would agree with me. We are…definitely far from having a good health care system,” the Regional Health Services Director noted.
But according to Dr. Shako, Guyana’s health care system is currently on course for a revolution. In fact she disclosed that every area of health care within the public health sector is poised for this starting from the health facilities right up to the Ministry of Public Health – the policy making body for health care within the country.
Among the changes slated for health care that will help to achieve the revolution are moves to narrow exiting gaps between the health care being delivered on the coastland and the hinterland.
“As we deploy doctors to the hinterland areas as well as to those remote areas that need health care, we can see that the gaps in delivering health care are narrowing,” assured Dr. Shako.
She said that there has been more capacity building for Regional Health Officers. This need, Dr. Shako said, was in fact previously brought to the attention of the Ministry.
She explained that it was recognised that the need for capacity building was important in order to deliver health care effectively within the regions.
“I must say that we want to thank our partner in health care –PAHO – for providing scholarships for our Regional Health Officers to pursue a higher level of education either in public health or in management,” said Dr. Shako.
Another measure to enhance the system that was mentioned by the Director of Regional Health Services is that the Regional Health Services Department of the Ministry is currently putting in place standard operating procedures.
This was prompted by a technical review done by Chief Medical Officers which underscored the need for a more coordinated and organised level of health care within the regions. “What we are saying is if the Ministry is looking for a better approach to health care then it needs to start with Regional Health Services which are being looked at as the nerve centre for the delivery of health care in Guyana,” said Dr. Shako.
She said, too, that there are even more plans apace to improve the health care system in the near future. In fact, she revealed that the Ministry is prepared to have each Regional Health Officer have a Deputy Regional Health Officer.
“This is all within the plan for more effective health care,” said Dr. Shako as she asserted that “yes we know that our Regional Health Officers are being faced with challenges and of course they would have asked for back up, so soon we are going to be having Deputy Regional Health Officers to help to enhance the way we deliver health care.”
And there are also plans for the appointment of a Deputy Director of Regional Health Services to assist Dr. Shako. She pointed out that “if the Regional Health Officers are crying out and they manage one region then you can imagine the work of the Director of Regional Health Services.”
The Director of Regional Health Services, she revealed, is usually hard pressed especially when a health challenge develops.
“This is something that definitely needs revising because when things happen, it doesn’t matter how you look at it…[what you hear is]what is the Director of Regional Health Services doing? I have heard that occasionally but the collaborative approach from our different health care partners is definitely going to impact the way how we move forward with health care within Guyana,” asserted Dr. Shako.
The Ministry of Public Health has been receiving immense support from its sister Ministry, the Ministry of Communities, to manage the affairs of public health. Dr. Shako noted that the Ministry of Communities as its oversight body in the regions, has a significant role to play in how the Health Ministry manages health care especially regarding human and financial resources.
As part of the moves to improve the delivery of health care, Dr. Shako revealed yesterday that an organisational structure has been formulated and is currently being reviewed by the Public Service Ministry.
“We are saying this is how we would like to see health care being delivered within the regions because as we speak there is no organisational structure telling you how health care is to be delivered,” explained Dr. Shako.
She informed the regional health officials in attendance yesterday that “at some point during the meeting you will see an organogram (organisational chart) starting from the REO moving right down to our health facilities, the health post and straight through to regional hospitals.
“If we can put all of these things together and bring them on board we are hoping that the outcome is going to be that health care is going to be more organised and more structured in the regions.”
“What we are saying [is] if we have systems in place then health care can be delivered to the optimum for the average Guyanese citizens,” Dr. Shako added.
The meeting which will continue today also saw remarks being made by PAHO/WHO resident representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow.
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