Public hospitals to offer abortions soon – CMO

By Samuel Sukhnandan

Guyana’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud said the Health Ministry is currently discussing a plan to introduce abortion in the public health system.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud

Dr Persaud in an interview with Guyana Times International on Tuesday, said discussions among health officials and support groups have commenced, and if all goes well, the initiative could be introduced soon.
“Since the act was passed in 1995, there has not been any of our public health facility that offers those termination services routinely. We have integrated this in our public training package and on or before completion of the course, we hope we could have these services up and running,” Dr Persaud stated.
This is aimed at reducing women having to resort to other means of termination of pregnancy, based on cost or access. This often results, in them undertaking unsafe procedures and risking their lives.
Dr Persaud said last year, the ministry started working closely with the Child Protection Agency and now provides this service to victims of rape and incest. “Automatically, they will be offered to those… but opening it to the public is what we want. I would like to see an early date, but we are looking at it… it could be sometime soon.”
Dr Persaud said he has suggested that the practice be done even on a weekly basis, with the aim of eventually making it a regular service.
The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) he said is still struggling with performing enough surgeries on a daily basis; despite a new obstetrics theatre has been opened. A large number of surgeries are still being performed daily, notably with advance surgical equipment and there is now a larger group of surgeons available.
Stringent action in 2013
He said stringent actions will be taken this year to reduce instances where women lose their lives as a result of undergoing illegal pregnancy termination. Dr Persaud warned that doctors, who are certified to conduct these exercises, must ensure that their approval licence is intact. All of their facilities must also be certified by the CMO and all equipment must be in place for the effective outcome of each surgery.
“There are some required procedures to report also on the termination… there is a form they have to complete for each termination and submit to my office.”
The CMO noted that there is a need for women to understand the dangers involved in undertaking this operation with an unlicensed or uncertified medical professional.
He posited too that women should be aware of the list of persons certified by the Guyana Medical Council to operate. This information is available on the council’s website: www.medicalcouncil.org.gy.
There have been numerous cases over the years where many women lost their lives after undergoing abortion by persons who are not certified or registered to undertake the procedure.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has also called for the public health system to provide termination services given the high cost attached to undergoing this procedure at private hospitals. This call was made by APNU Member of Parliament (MP) Dr George Norton during a sitting of the House in April last year.