Guyana will be implementing an integrated surveillance system at regional hospitals to effectively obtain data to track, respond, and diagnose respiratory viruses like influenza. This is resulting from a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organisation-World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO). So said Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, during the PAHO sentinel site and laboratory workshop on Wednesday at the Windjammer Hotel in Kitty, Georgetown.
Anthony explained the crucial software will enhance surveillance services countrywide and ensure a coordinated response, for the first time.
There are currently four sentinel sites in the country which will increase in the coming months, since Guyana has more than 22 hospitals at the district level.
The aim is to expand the services offered at the medical institutions, and the new system will help to distinguish between flu and other illnesses, providing accurate numbers and enabling appropriate community responses.
Furthermore, Guyana will be constructing six more modern hospitals by the end of 2024, which are expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2025.
Dr Anthony emphasised that building out of these systems will also help Guyana to be fully prepared for future pandemics.
Meanwhile, the three-day workshop which began on Tuesday aims to educate staff on sentinel surveillance, data entry, case follow-up in the PAHO Flu system, and to enhance system functionality at both national and site levels. Minister Anthony charged the medical professionals to pay keen attention to the concepts of the surveillance system, as Guyana continues to transform the way data is generated.
