– as UDH records first COVID-19 death
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, on Friday, presented a ventilator and an oxygen concentrator to the Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region Ten) Health Department to enhance its capacity to treat COVID-19 patients at the Upper Demerara Hospital (UDH).
UDH is Region Ten’s main COVID-19 isolation and treatment institution.
The equipment was presented to the Regional Health Department during a meeting with regional officials.
Dr. Anthony complimented the Region on the overall management of its health services, while stating he wants to find solutions to challenges hampering patient care.
“We are all here to serve and I think health is one of those areas where we all need to combine our efforts to make sure that the general public receive those services,” Dr. Anthony said.
Minister Anthony said his Ministry will continue to support health care at the regional level by purchasing the necessary equipment for the various isolation centres.
“We’re trying to ensure all of our regional hospitals have ventilators. In addition to that, we want to ensure that all hospitals have treatments, so that if there are critical patients that come, we are able to provide that level of care,” Dr. Anthony said.
“We are buying. You can ask the Ministry so that you’re able to get some of these things. They are there for every single region. In addition to that, we have been working to make sure that we can have the medications that can be used for COVID-19,” the Minister assured.
Ventilators and other vital equipment and medication were recently provided to hospitals in Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two) and East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) as part of Government’s efforts to boost the regional health systems.
Regional Health Officer, Dr. Gregory Harris thanked the Minister of Health for the equipment.
“It increases our capacity to treat or care for COVID cases. Thus it will reduce the number of referrals that we would send to Georgetown, so it actually puts the Region at a better place,” Harris said.
Present at the meeting were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Malcolm Watkins; Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narine Singh, Regional Health Officer (RHO), Gregory Harris, Regional Chairman, Deron Adams; Regional Executive Officer (REO), Dwight John and other regional officials.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the UDH reported its first COVID-19 related death. Seventy-four-year-old Estella Williams of Moblissa, Linden – Soesdyke Highway was the Region’s latest fatality. Williams’ daughter and 11 other relatives tested positive for the virus.
The RHO told Village Voice Guyana that mass testing has been conducted in the Moblissa area.
Additionally, Regional Health Officials are concerned that the communities along the Linden – Soesdyke Highway have become a COVID-19 hot spot. Village Voice Guyana understands that there are several suspected cases at Bamia.
Region Ten has 16 active COVID-19 cases with three from the Upper Demerara River community of Muritaro. Some 481 persons have been tested thus far in the Region with 147 testing positive and 125 having recovered.
