Manage Georgetown Hospital like a ‘corporation’ – APNU+AFC’s Dr Surendra Persaud

By Jomo Paul

[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) should be treated and recognized by the government as a “corporation” rather than a state agency to help make it more accountable for the day to day operations.

This is according to APNU+AFC’s Dr Surendra Persaud who made the point during a recent press conference detailing the Opposition coalition’s plans for the health sector should it be elected to government post May 11.

In a nutshell, it was pointed out that the coalition would revamp Guyana’s ailing public health system but that would be accomplished through the resolution of some pivotal issues.

Over the years, the GPHC has come under serious criticism both from private citizens and politicians on different occasions after patients would have died after being admitted for “simple” medical issues or procedures.

Incidents like those, couple with what has been deemed a “haphazard” Accident and Emergency department, several concerns were raised about the institution and have been ventilated on numerous occasions in the public space.

However, Dr Surendra when questioned by iNews on Monday said that it all comes down to the manner in which GPHC is managed pointing out that the institution is a corporation at convenient times.

“If a business is selling phones, they will know what the cost of a phone is…the supermarkets know what the cost is to business; the Georgetown Public Hospital, does anyone know what the cost if for an appendectomy? Does anyone know what the cost is to see a patient?” he posited.

He said that with good governance and administration, most of the medical eventualities would be premeditated and the hospital would be able to function in an effective manner.

“If you know you are going to have so many deliveries then you plan for it and you don’t have two women in one bed…its governance,” he said

Meanwhile, Dr Karen Dr Cummings pointed out that every year the National Budget is prepared but there is no tangible evidence of cost analysis being done to conclude what the actual cost of operating the hospital would be.

“There is no cost analysis…we have not seen any cost analysis – direct cost and indirect costs. No one is actually taking the time out to do the analysis of this sort of funding,” said Dr Cummings.