| “If we can improve women’s health,St. Louis Cardinals Brett Cecil Jersey, we improve the health of the nation.” This was the assertion ofDr Frank DenbowDr. Frank Denbow, President of the Guyana-Jamaica Friendship Association, as he stressed that women are the primary caregivers in most families.It was against this background that the Association decided to spearhead a symposium on Sunday at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre which focused on various aspects of women’s health.Among the speakers was Professor Horace Fletcher, Dean of the University of the West Indies Medical School, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist. Professor Fletcher gave an informative presentation on maternal mortality, an issue that has long been recognised as a big problem in Guyana.According to Dr. Denbow, a Guyanese by birth, who specialises in internal medicine in the United States, “The reason we chose maternal mortality is because that is a very big problem in Guyana, where we have a higher prevalence rate than most other Caribbean countries, and interestingly, Jamaica with all its technology and so on, also has a high rate, and it is a problem that has been identified by the Ministry of Health as something that needs to be addressed”.Those gathered at the Convention Centre to listen to speakers such as Professor Fletcher were mainly medical practitioners and Dr. Denbow during an interview with this publication on Tuesday rated the session as “excellent.”Professor Fletcher in his presentation Sunday spoke of the similarities of the maternal mortality situation in Guyana and Jamaica and proposed ways of addressing existing challenges.“Whilst not suggesting he knew all the answers to Guyana’s problems he suggested methodologies of approaching the problem which I thought were excellent and,Detroit Tigers Alex Avila Jersey, in particular, he talked about having a study which is comprehensive, but also confidential, because once you have a study and it is not confidential, people will feel that there is going to be an attempt to apportion blame, and once you get that you are not going to get to the root of the problem,” Dr. Denbow asserted.Nurse Claudette PowellAmong the local health officials who attended the forum were: Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings; Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Kay Shako; Director of Communicable Diseases, Dr. Morris Edwards; Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr. Lucio Pedro, and former Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran.“This is the first time that we have held a symposium, and it was very successful, I think. We had a lot of cooperation both in attendance and going forward; we plan to have significant follow-ups. It is one thing to identify situations, but it is another thing to implement solutions to the problem,Tampa Bay Rays Matt Duffy Jersey,” related Dr. Denbow.According to him, he was on Tuesday in discussion with Dr. Pedro about setting up protocols, particularly in the remote health centres of the country, with a view of ascertaining when a pregnancy is likely to be too risky to be handled at that location. This, according to Dr. Denbow, will be done in collaboration with Professor Fletcher.Another issue that took precedence at Sunday’s symposium was that of domestic violence. Presenting on this issue was Women’s Advocate, Ms. Karen De Souza of Red Thread. At that forum she pointed out that domestic violence cuts across all classes of society, although it is more often evident among the poor, working class people. Domestic violence among the upper class is often suppressed,Minnesota Twins Drew Stubbs Jersey, she shared.However,Kevin Jepsen Jersey, De Souza informed the gathering that there has been significant progress in dealing with the domestic violence issue, which was heartening to Dr. Denbow.“Even though we have a lot of problems with domestic violence,Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Ricky Nolasco Jersey, she was saying that since the Domestic Violence Act was passed there has been significant progress; there is a lot more stuff to be done,Jered Weaver Jersey, but there is some progress,St. Louis Cardinals Zach Duke Jersey,” noted Dr. Denbow.According to him, “it was interesting to find out how medical practitioners in the emergency room for example, how they approach the problem of domestic violence, what their responsibilities are, and what their obligations are in terms of dealing with the confidentiality rules and so on…”But there are plans apace by the Association to examine a number of other areas dealing with women’s health in the future,Gordon Beckham Jersey, according to Nurse Claudette Powell.Powell is the Vice President of the Association.Speaking of the forum on Sunday, she noted that “I was really happy and very pleased to hear the presenters discussing the various health issues for women, particularly menopause. There was a speaker, Dr. Roberts, who addressed that, and I feel that stage of a woman’s life is usually not addressed by physicians as well.”“You tend to go in, you get your routine checks or if there are other issues such as cervical cancer or breast cancer, but rarely do you hear a woman say I am going to talk to the doctor about menopause,” said Powell. She related that while a number of the issues addressed might not have been new and served as merely refresher information, “I am sure that everyone there left with something, I know I did.”The aim of the Association is to help make a difference in both the areas of health and education in Jamaica and Guyana. And the strategic approach being embraced to achieve the health goals is to focus on low income areas, according to Dr. Denbow.Currently the Association has its health focus on areas in Region Two, including the areas of Suddie, Supenaam and Anna Regina, while in Jamaica, rural St. Thomas has been chosen.With regards to education, two schools have been adopted by the Association –Mashabo Primary on the Essequibo Coast and Aeolus Valley School in St. Thomas, Jamaica. |
