State of the art doesn't exist in stroke rehab! NOTHING EXISTS FOR 100% RECOVERY!
Guyana to build first state-of-the-art neuro-rehabilitation facility
—Plans include advanced stroke rehabilitation, 3D-printed prosthetics and expanded autism services as healthcare transformation continues
AS Guyana continues to strengthen its healthcare system, efforts are advancing to expand rehabilitative care through the development of a state-of-the-art neuro-rehabilitation facility, the training of specialised personnel and the introduction of advanced technologies aimed at improving patient outcomes.
Speaking recently with the Guyana Chronicle, Director of Rehabilitation and Disability Services, Dr Ariane Mangar, said the Ministry of Health is pursuing a number of initiatives designed to deliver world-class rehabilitation services in keeping with the vision outlined by President Dr Irfaan Ali.
According to Dr Mangar, rehabilitative care remains one of the major areas of focus within the health sector, with significant progress already made in expanding services and increasing the number of trained professionals.
“We have grown a lot. The services have grown, definitely. We have more professionals, more physiotherapists. We did not have speech therapists, we did not have occupational therapists,” she said.
She noted that the ministry is continuing to work through training programmes and partnerships to increase the number of speech therapists and occupational therapists available within the healthcare system.
Among the most significant projects currently in development is a dedicated neuro-rehabilitation facility, which will focus primarily on stroke patients.
“We are in the process of working with the government to have a neuro-rehab facility built,” Dr Mangar said.
“This facility will focus on stroke patients, and we are hoping that it is a state-of-the-art facility, with everything that you can think about inside, so that it is first world as the President has said,” she added.
The facility is expected to significantly enhance Guyana’s ability to provide specialised rehabilitation services by increasing capacity and accommodating advanced medical equipment.
“We want to be able to meet the needs of people and showcase what Guyana can do. We have a lot of talent, but a lot of times we do not have the machines, or we are limited in what we have because of the space we have,” Dr Mangar explained.
“Now with the bigger space we can bring in more advanced machines, so that we can improve the services we offer,” she added.
In addition to infrastructural expansion, the ministry is also investing in workforce development and emerging technologies.
Dr Mangar revealed that healthcare personnel are currently being trained as orthotic and prosthetic technicians to improve the local production of prosthetic devices.
“We are upgrading some persons as orthotic and prosthetic technicians, so we can improve the making of prostheses here. We are also having training on the making of the sockets and splints using a 3D printer,” she said.
The introduction of 3D-printing technology is expected to dramatically reduce production times for prosthetic components.
“With a 3D printer, a socket can be made in three hours rather than three days. It improves the turnaround time,” Dr Mangar noted.
The ministry is also placing increased focus on autism services and early intervention programmes.
According to Dr Mangar, upcoming training initiatives will equip therapists and medical professionals with specialised skills to better support children diagnosed with autism.
“We are going to be doing some training in autism, behavioural training for our therapists, so that they can provide a more comprehensive service to the children who would have been diagnosed with autism,” she said.
The initiative will also involve training paediatricians and other healthcare professionals to improve the identification and diagnosis of autism in children.
“We will be working with some paediatricians, some doctors, to help them to better identify autism in children. We’re going to be doing that along with Mount Sinai and personnel from the University of Indiana, and that is almost immediate,” she added.
Looking ahead, Dr Mangar said the ministry’s long-term goal is to build a comprehensive rehabilitation system supported by a full complement of specialists and modern facilities.
“Ideally, we would like to have the full staff complement, physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, more doctors involved, more physiatrists, more audiological practitioners and specialists,” she said.
“We could serve the people better, orthotic and prosthetic specialists, so we could meet the demands of the people. Once we have the staff and we have the facility, then we can definitely provide a world-class service,” Dr Mangar added.
AS Guyana continues to strengthen its healthcare system, efforts are advancing to expand rehabilitative care through the development of a state-of-the-art neuro-rehabilitation facility, the training of specialised personnel and the introduction of advanced technologies aimed at improving patient outcomes.
Speaking recently with the Guyana Chronicle, Director of Rehabilitation and Disability Services, Dr Ariane Mangar, said the Ministry of Health is pursuing a number of initiatives designed to deliver world-class rehabilitation services in keeping with the vision outlined by President Dr Irfaan Ali.
According to Dr Mangar, rehabilitative care remains one of the major areas of focus within the health sector, with significant progress already made in expanding services and increasing the number of trained professionals.
“We have grown a lot. The services have grown, definitely. We have more professionals, more physiotherapists. We did not have speech therapists, we did not have occupational therapists,” she said.
She noted that the ministry is continuing to work through training programmes and partnerships to increase the number of speech therapists and occupational therapists available within the healthcare system.
Among the most significant projects currently in development is a dedicated neuro-rehabilitation facility, which will focus primarily on stroke patients.
“We are in the process of working with the government to have a neuro-rehab facility built,” Dr Mangar said.
“This facility will focus on stroke patients, and we are hoping that it is a state-of-the-art facility, with everything that you can think about inside, so that it is first world as the President has said,” she added.
The facility is expected to significantly enhance Guyana’s ability to provide specialised rehabilitation services by increasing capacity and accommodating advanced medical equipment.
“We want to be able to meet the needs of people and showcase what Guyana can do. We have a lot of talent, but a lot of times we do not have the machines, or we are limited in what we have because of the space we have,” Dr Mangar explained.
“Now with the bigger space we can bring in more advanced machines, so that we can improve the services we offer,” she added.
In addition to infrastructural expansion, the ministry is also investing in workforce development and emerging technologies.
Dr Mangar revealed that healthcare personnel are currently being trained as orthotic and prosthetic technicians to improve the local production of prosthetic devices.
“We are upgrading some persons as orthotic and prosthetic technicians, so we can improve the making of prostheses here. We are also having training on the making of the sockets and splints using a 3D printer,” she said.
The introduction of 3D-printing technology is expected to dramatically reduce production times for prosthetic components.
“With a 3D printer, a socket can be made in three hours rather than three days. It improves the turnaround time,” Dr Mangar noted.
The ministry is also placing increased focus on autism services and early intervention programmes.
According to Dr Mangar, upcoming training initiatives will equip therapists and medical professionals with specialised skills to better support children diagnosed with autism.
“We are going to be doing some training in autism, behavioural training for our therapists, so that they can provide a more comprehensive service to the children who would have been diagnosed with autism,” she said.
The initiative will also involve training paediatricians and other healthcare professionals to improve the identification and diagnosis of autism in children.
“We will be working with some paediatricians, some doctors, to help them to better identify autism in children. We’re going to be doing that along with Mount Sinai and personnel from the University of Indiana, and that is almost immediate,” she added.
Looking ahead, Dr Mangar said the ministry’s long-term goal is to build a comprehensive rehabilitation system supported by a full complement of specialists and modern facilities.
“Ideally, we would like to have the full staff complement, physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, more doctors involved, more physiatrists, more audiological practitioners and specialists,” she said.
“We could serve the people better, orthotic and prosthetic specialists, so we could meet the demands of the people. Once we have the staff and we have the facility, then we can definitely provide a world-class service,” Dr Mangar added.
