Luncheon bemoans slothful reports on maternal deaths

Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon on Wednesday stated that Cabinet is not pleased with the sloth which entails in the submission of reports regarding maternal deaths in Guyana. Responding to questions at his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing regarding the recent death of a mother and her unborn child, Dr Luncheon said the Cabinet Committee established during the tenure of former Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy to monitor such cases is still functioning.

He stated that Cabinet does receive reports which are generated by the institutions where the cases originate, and the review of the circumstances is carried out by the special body set up by Dr Ramsammy.
The Cabinet secretary, however, explained that Cabinet is unhappy about the commitment of getting those reports in timely ways.
“I am familiar with the details. What we are not happy about is the result of the engagement by the Ministry of Health by the committee who oversees the developments which led to the death and makes a pronouncement,” he said.
He explained that the recommendations arise from the deliberations of that body that addresses and gives the contributory factors, and what has happened with the implementation of engagement and recommendations.
Dr Luncheon observed that part of the monitoring depends on the consideration of the expert group, which considers the circumstances based on the reports, make findings, and recommendations.
“Those things don’t flow in a timely way,” he added.
“I still feel much more can be done at the level of the Ministry of Health to expedite that process, and allow us at Cabinet level to follow the circumstance and move on what interventions are needed or being recommended to forestall or decrease the incidence of maternal deaths,” the HPS stated.
Regarding maternal deaths as a whole, speaking as a former health sector worker, Dr Luncheon observed that a lot of them are unavoidable due to catastrophic outcomes during labour, wherever it occurs in or out of Guyana.
“Your chances are slim when these occurrences take place. It is not unique to Guyana. That which will occur during the terminal stages of labour, will occur that will lead to death of mother and child.”
Nevertheless, in the circumstances where it is avoidable, he noted that there may be some interest in having those details covered up, “that is why Cabinet’s monitoring has been put in place. What we have put in place has suffered from sloth of its implementation, not abandoned,” he said.
Referring to the recent death, the HPS added, “I won’t be surprised if that report gets to the committee in July for a death that occurred in early June. That is where our dissatisfaction lies. We will have to prepare to get a report in an untimely way.”