Local doctors to be trained to detect Microcephaly through ultrasound

More than 20 local doctors will begin training Friday (April 21, 2017), at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to use ultrasound to detect microcephaly in pregnant women who were exposed to the Zika virus.

The programme which runs from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm will be facilitated by Drs Brendt Schimit, the Equipment Implementation specialist at RAD-AID International and Gillian Battinoa Director, RAD-AID for Latin America.

Participants will receive training on innovative strategies to support the advancement of patient care in the area, the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement today (Wednesday, April 19, 2017).

RAD-AID, a UN-affiliated non-profit organisation, in 2016 donated two new CT Machines valued at over G$88M (US$440,000.00) to the Ministry of Public Health, through Phillips Corporation, USA.

In addition to training of the General Medical Officers (GMOs) and obstetricians, drawn from the country’s 10 Administrative Regions and the GPHC, Schimdt and Battino will visit the sites for the CT Machines at the Bartica Regional and New Amsterdam Hospitals. At these locations, they will inspect and provide technical assistance and support in the design of permanent housing for the CT machines.

The team is also expected to meet with GPHC executives and Director at the Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE), to begin preparations for a residency program that is scheduled to start in August this year.

RAD-AID International provides training and improves radiology resources to 15 developing countries, with over 4,000 volunteers. This includes the first 3-Year Radiology Residency training program in Guyana at the GPHC in collaboration with the University of Guyana (UG).