Health Minister – Linden Hospital “one of the better-staffed institutions”

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony is reiterating that there is no staff shortage at the Linden Hospital Complex, as the institution is one of the better medical facilities where citizens benefit from quality care and treatment.

During Tuesday’s COVID-19 Update, Dr Anthony said that the opposition continues to spread a false narrative about the facility to create worry among the citizens about the availability of resources at the facility.

“We have more than 38 medical doctors that are in Region Ten. Twenty-five of those (doctors) are at the Linden Hospital in itself. Thirteen of the 25 doctors are specialists [at the hospital] … It is one of the better-staffed institutions we have in the country” he reclarified.

According to the Guyana National Bureau of Statistics, Linden has a population size of just over 27,000 residents based on the previous census numbers. It also has its own nursing school, unlike similar geographic locations.

“Because Linden has a nursing school, a lot of people from Region Ten have benefitted from the training to become nurses… [as a result] they do have adequate nurses at the facilities, both registered nurses and nursing assistants,” the minister added.

It was revealed that as part of keeping its manifesto promise, the PPP/C government continues to expand the range of medical personnel, postgraduate specialists, nurses, pharmacists, medical technologists, technicians, and other support staff that serve the health sector, with continuous training and the expertise of foreign medical brigades.

“We have been sending Cubans and Chinese specialists along with local specialists to visit, so I think in terms of the medical doctors and specialists we have there, it is quite adequate,” Dr Anthony reiterated.

Nevertheless, the complement of staff that serves Region Ten includes 38 medical doctors, 13 of whom are specialists, 130 registered nurses, and 110 nursing assistants totalling over 270 medical personnel, excluding medical technicians and other support staff.

The health minister further explained that the government is currently upgrading several health facilities across the country. Further, contracts have already been awarded for the construction of seven new state-of-the-art hospitals.

“We are going to upgrade regional facilities and, in those upgrades, it’s not just about the physical appearance of the hospital itself, but also the equipment we have, and to make sure we have adequate staff to manage these facilities,” he said.

Minister Anthony also explained that over the next three to four years, the government will continue its healthcare expansion in every region.