GPHC CEO sounds alarm as kidney disease cases surge

Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Robbie Rambarran, is sounding the alarm over a troubling surge in kidney disease cases across the country, warning that Guyana is facing a health crisis that reflects a worrying global trend.

Rambarran noted that local healthcare facilities are struggling to manage the growing number of patients requiring specialised renal treatment.

“At Georgetown Hospital alone, from 2023 to date, we have registered 2,200 new patients in our nephrology clinic. We currently have 368 patients on dialysis, and of those, 246 began treatment just this year. These are alarming numbers and they don’t even account for cases being managed at other public hospitals or in the private sector,” he said.

Even more troubling, he explained, is the increasing number of patients being hospitalised in severe condition due to missed or irregular dialysis sessions.

“We have seen an increase in patients being admitted, very sick, and the majority of them because they don’t get their dialysis treatment,” Rambarran said.

He also expressed concern that despite the government providing annual subsidies of $600,000 for haemodialysis treatment, many eligible patients are still not utilising the support.

“As of today, 29 patients are hospitalised at GPHC with kidney-related complications, 20 of whom are on dialysis. Ninety per cent of these admissions are due to defaults in dialysis treatment,” he stressed.

With demand for dialysis and kidney transplants now far outstripping national capacity, the GPHC CEO issued a strong call for action, warning that the situation requires urgent intervention and public awareness to prevent further escalation.