Mr Terrence Deyalsingh, what I write is not fiction, perception or imagination. In fact, it was a real-life experience that I, as a layman, share with you and pray that as the newly appointed Minister of Health, it would help to guide and inform your policies, and in particular the Sangre Grande Regional Health Authority for the betterment of healthcare in our country.
I was a patient of the Sangre Grande Hospital twice this year for two ground-breaking surgeries. On January 29, I had a total rotator cuff repair done on my right shoulder by orthroscopic means, the first of its kind in the Caribbean. The second surgery was done on the July 23. I used to suffer with intense pain on my left thumb over the years. After correct diagnosis, the same orthopaedic team that did the first surgery performed a procedure on my left hand known in medical circles as a tight-rope trapeziectomy. This is a relatively new and innovative method of bone replacement using 'fibre wire'. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first such surgery done in any public hospital in T&T.
To facilitate the operation, a nerve block method of anaesthesia was employed, so even though my entire arm felt lifeless, I was still fully awake. This allowed me the rare opportunity to witness first-hand the kind of synchronisation of staff required during these highly technical procedures. It also made me privy to some of the frustrations and problems experienced by even the most skilled surgeons and other surgical staff in the public hospitals. Here are some live examples for you to note:
During my surgery the drill was malfunctioning. I concluded from conversations I overheard in the operating theatre that the authorities either do not purchase appropriate or sufficient equipment, either because of a lack of knowledge or sheer inefficiency. A procedure that should have taken one hour lasted four hours instead! Could you imagine the cost incurred because of an incorrect $20 drill bit? The surgical staff also had to sterilise one piece of inexpensive equipment for recurrent use. What a shame!
The Human Resource Department of the Sangre Grande Regional Health Authority should take pattern from the orthopaedic team in the way in which they synchronise their operating systems. The team communicate, collaborate and then act correctly and decisively. That is how the department that purchases supplies and equipment should operate.
After surgeries, there was of course the clinic visitations. While having my x�rays done, I discovered that the computers that transmitted the images to the doctors in the clinic were not functioning for lack of maintenance. As such, patients like myself had to wait more than one-and-a-half hours for the old printer in the x-ray department to print one image which then needed to be manually taken to the clinic.
Also, when I was hospitalised for my first surgery, the hot water in the ward's bathrooms were not working. Patients shuddered at the thought of a bath in the early hours of the morning. When I returned to the ward seven months later, this problem remained the same.
Proper post-surgery physiotherapy is also deficient at our public hospitals. For both of my surgeries I was forced to seek the services of a private institution, Total Rehabilitation. I have to confess that Dr Tiffany Clerk and Ms Stephanie Llanos, who are providing therapy for the rotator cuff and trapeziectomy respectively, are both brilliant in the services that they provide. What strikes me though, is the amount of people that go there from all over the country and complain about the quality of physiotherapy in the public hospitals. It is a fact that our senior population is expanding in numbers and the need for physiotherapy for this age group is tremendous. As such, I urge your ministry to focus more attention and resources into this specialised area.
I feel prevailed upon to enlighten you about the level of empathy and expertise of all staff at the Sangre Grande Hospital who had a part to play in these historic surgical procedures. The orthopaedic department is headed by Mr David Santana. The surgery, itself was performed by Mr Vicarsh Siewrattan, a very skilled surgeon and he was ably assisted by Drs Justin Mooteram and Rishi Rampersad. Their collective expertise under testing conditions must be highly commended. It should be noted, however, that the orthopaedic department operates out of a container and patients sit under a shed outside of the container or in a crowded, hot waiting room awaiting medical attention. In spite of these conditions the staff work assiduously without complaining. Adequate equipment and facilities would go a long way in providing better healthcare.
I also wish to draw to your attention the level of commitment of other staff members of the Sangre Grande Hospital. These include the nurses and clerical staff at the clinic of the orthopaedic department: radiographers, Ms Kavita Seedarnie and Ms Gabriella Batiste; the anaesthetic team including Drs Mungroo, Mohammed and Joseph, and the nurses attached to the operating theatre. I also advise that the nursing staff of Ward 3 and in particular nurses David, Lee and Jobe must be absolutely commended. While warded I observed that the patient who was lying next to me had to be transported three times to Mt Hope and back for a CT Scan. I realised that the CT Scan at the Sangre Grande Hospital was malfunctioning because of lack of maintenance. Could one imagine the unnecessary cost incurred in the process?
In closing, I want you to know, sir, that this real-life experience has given me, an ordinary citizen, tremendous faith in the human resource potential of our health sector and in particular the Sangre Grande Hospital.
It is my layman's view that your ministry should pay more attention to the effective and efficient day-to-day functioning of the existing health institutions rather than establishing new ones which reeks of quantity without quality.
'When we are mindful of the little things in life, the bigger picture automatically fits into place'.
Harricharan Vishnu Sieunarine