Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy lambasted several international health organisations on Thursday, January 27th, for what he believes to be their disregard for the work of public health workers in Guyana when they compile reports using wrong data.
Ramsammy was especially addressing reports on maternal and infant mortality. Speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop on Maternal and Child Health at the Regency Suites, Hadfield Street, the health minister debunked statistics produced by the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). His contention is that the figures the international health organisations used in their report misrepresented Guyana’s position on child mortality and maternal deaths.
“Stand firm and show me, there is all the reporting in the world, show me it applies to Guyana. I can guarantee you that every pregnant woman that died in this country I know (of). I know within 24 hours, and no formula devised in Geneva is better than what I know on the ground (here). These ladies and men work hard, and if we have a problem with data, you come and show me,” Dr Ramsammy noted.
Guyana has been under pressure in recent times for several maternal deaths which occurred at public health institutions across the country. Ramsammy had told this newspaper recently that, in 1991, Guyana had a maternal mortality rate of 32.1 for every 10,000 births. This was reduced to 25.6 in 1995, then to an astonishing eight deaths for every 10,000 births in 2009. Today, the rate is eight deaths in 10,000 deliveries. However, the reports from the international organisations suggested the ministry’s figures have been significantly different from theirs when compared over the years, he said.
Ramsammy said he will not accept from the identified organisations any report that suggests that Guyana has been underreporting its mortality rates. “I will not accept another publication with data that never applied to this country. Never applied! I have been working in the public sector, and I have never known, in all my tenure, that 75 women died of child’s birth in Guyana. I’ve never known that! In our worst days it hasn’t happened, and so when you publish and you refuse to accept our data… it is absolutely wrong. Absolutely!” Dr Ramsammy remarked.
The health minister told the PAHO/WHO and UNFPA representatives that the Ministry of Health and their respective organisations have the same goals, so they should work hand in hand to ensure that information disseminated is accurate, reflecting what actually transpires or had transpired here.
“…we must not disrespect the health workers of Guyana, and we must not demoralise them; they deserve better. Just like I did with UNAIDS, there has to be accountability. There has to be accountability! We have been asked to be accountable, and you must be accountable, too. You must come and show me where you got that number. Unless you can show me, you cannot publish those numbers,” a fiery Ramsammy stressed.
He said that, often, when queries are made, excuses are given to the Health Ministry that suggest that the figures published are from the olden days, but he maintains that such is not possible. “…that doesn’t even apply. Where they got it from, not a single person can tell me….I want all my partners to understand this: It is time that people respect us a little bit, so there is no disharmony.”
MDGs
Further, Dr Ramsammy stated that Guyana is on course for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. “If you want to say there is underreporting today, then that underreporting had to be massive in 1991.”
Dr Ramsammy stressed that the developments over the past years do not allow for the ministry to misrepresent figures. “No one can say our information system today is not better than it was in 1991. It is simple logic… everyone knows our information system today is superior to (what obtained in) 1991; so if we want to look at figures, a superior system has produced a number which says we (have) already reached the MDGs. It is time that people are a little bit fairer,” he urged. He added that he will be calling all relevant stakeholders to a meeting next week, to have the issue of misrepresentation of Guyana’s data addressed.
Ramsammy said there was much to be proud about in Guyana. He added that, as it relates to the immunisation and vaccination of children, Guyana has a very high ranking. This, he says, goes to show the tremendous effort by government, and in particular the Health Ministry, on the importance of immunising the nation’s children.
“The only relevant vaccines we don’t have in Guyana are the ones the region deems not to be in immediate benefit…the meningitis vaccine is one in great need in Africa, but not in our programme, because this region has deemed it one that is not going to add too much benefit,” he said.
However, the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, the other vaccine not deemed essential in the region, will be made available to the public by the second quarter of the year. “As it relates to the number of vaccines, we are doing an excellent job… We have 94 to 98 per cent coverage. In some regions it is higher…but we are getting there; no child should be without vaccines,” the health minister emphasised.
The minister stated that there is need for health workers to be able to identify high risk pregnancies, for example, and he noted that there are several areas that need strengthening. He believes that, with time, Guyana will have a close-to-perfect health care system. “The goal is to be perfect…Last year reminded us that close is not good enough.”
The workshop, hosted in collaboration with PAHO/WHO, was held under the theme, “Towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals targets in 2015”, and was aimed at sensitising health care professionals about an expanded maternal and child health programme on immunisation. Representatives from several regions participated.
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