Members of the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) health committee
met with Minister of Public Health, Vola Lawrence on September 6, to
discuss ways in which the committee can work with the Public Health
Ministry to improve services offered to the region.
This meeting was a part of a series of engagements conducted by the
minister and a team from her ministry during a three-day visit to the
region where they met the staff and addressed a number of issues.
Among the issues discussed at the meeting was the need for improved
management of resources in hospitals across Region Ten. This was cited
as one of the main contributing factors to subsequent existing issues.
This was related to the Public Health Minister by Dr. Gregory Harris,
Outgoing Chairman of the Health Committee Regional Democratic Council.
Dr. Harris reasoned that one of the keys to improving the services the
sector provides is by ensuring management is familiar with their
responsibilities and commitment to supporting the health care system.
He also recalled that in 2017, the PAHO/WHO office in Guyana exposed
managerial staff of hospitals to a three-day training which focused on
integrated healthcare management. He suggested that more training
sessions and refresher courses such as these are needed for managers.
Minister Lawrence noted if the health sector is to move forward and
provide the best level of healthcare, these issues must be identified
and addressed “hands on.” The minister explained that all members of
staff in the health sector should be targetted in this regard. She
added that the governing bodies such as the ministry and the RDC must
also evaluate prudently and examine persons who are selected to be
managers.
Having this grave concern highlighted, the health committee’s incoming
Chairman, Gordon Callendar committed himself and the members of the
committee towards working with the Ministry of Public Health through
the RDC to eliminate the health-related issues in the region.
