In an effort to reduce maternal deaths, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has increased its investments in modern equipment, upgraded facilities, and specialised training for its medical staff to ensure mothers receive the best possible care during pregnancy and childbirth.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the national hospital, Robbie Rambarran, said these reforms have resulted in a decline in deaths, an issue that he holds dear to his heart.
Speaking on the Starting Point Podcast, Rambarran said assigning doctors direct responsibility for specific units within the maternity department marked a turning point in efforts to improve patient care. This he said was one of the key changes he made upon his assumption of management duties at the hospital in 2021.
“I used to tell the former CEO Mike Hanoman that there are three areas in this hospital that we have to focus on: the emergency room, the maternity department and our supplies and logistics,” Rambarran said.
As a result of his persistence, the Maternity department became one of the first areas targeted for reform.
According to Rambarran, the changes were infrastructural as well as systematic. The hospital replaced the head of the Maternity department and undertook a broad restructuring of staffing arrangements, reporting systems, shift schedules and on-call operations.
One of the most crucial changes involved assigning physicians to specific sections of the department, including labour wards, prenatal units and postnatal units. Previously, doctors operated mainly through on-call teams. Under the new arrangement, physicians are assigned to specific units and are expected to maintain oversight of what takes place therein.
“That has been the fundamental breakthrough for us,” Rambarran said. “Getting folks there, holding them accountable and that has really been the turning point.”
The hospital also invested in major upgrades aimed at improving patient experience. Rambarran said the maternity ward was expanded and that all wards within the department were outfitted with air-conditioning units.
Alongside the infrastructure improvements, the GPHC invested in specialised equipment designed to enhance patient monitoring. The hospital has also strengthened staff training through partnerships with major healthcare institutions, including Mount Sinai and Northwell Health.
Rambarran said the combination of new equipment, enhanced training and a realigned staffing structure has helped strengthen the hospital capacity to deliver care while also reducing deaths.
“With the equipment and having the staff realigned with all the training that they are getting as well,” he said, “all of those factors are working together to improve clinical outcomes.”