Robbie Rambarran, Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), has raised concerns over a significant surge in kidney disease cases in Guyana, indicating that the nation is facing a health crisis reflective of a troubling global trend.
Rambarran reported that local healthcare facilities are struggling to cope with the increasing number of patients needing specialized 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,” he stated, emphasizing that these alarming figures do not account for cases managed in other public hospitals or the private sector.
Even more concerning, he noted, is the rise in hospitalizations due to missed or irregular dialysis sessions. “We have seen an increase in patients being admitted very sick, with the majority of them lacking essential dialysis treatment,” Rambarran explained.
Despite the government’s provision of an annual subsidy of $600,000 for haemodialysis treatment, he highlighted that many eligible patients are still not utilizing this support. “As of today, 29 patients are hospitalized at GPHC with kidney-related complications, 20 of whom are on dialysis. Ninety percent of these admissions are due to defaults in dialysis treatment,” he stressed.
With demand for dialysis and kidney transplants significantly outpacing national capacity, Rambarran issued a strong call for urgent action and public awareness to prevent further escalation of the kidney disease crisis in Guyana. He urged stakeholders to address this pressing public health issue to enhance the well-being of affected individuals and the community at large.
