Eight breast cancer survivors are in the first batch to have benefitted from breast reconstruction surgeries that were recently conducted at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
The initiative is a collaboration between the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and the Caribbean Association of Plastic Reconstruction and Aesthetic Society (CAPRASS).
A total of nine surgeries were successfully performed: eight breast reconstruction surgeries and one facial reconstruction on a teenage accident survivor.
Ramrattie Conhaye, a 56- year-old resident of Region Two, was among those who benefitted from reconstruction surgeries.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. She subsequently had surgery to remove the affected breast and underwent several cycles of chemotherapy.
“I feel like my life was done because I didn’t have a breast and I couldn’t go anywhere.
Then I do the breast surgery. I am so happy that is it done and I must thank the team. I feel well back again. I can encourage anybody to come and do it,” a tearful Conhaye said on Tuesday.
She is among four of the patients who were discharged. The other five remain hospitalised for monitoring.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Head of the Georgetown Public Hospital’s General Surgery department, Dr Shilindra Rajkumar said preparation for these surgeries started a year and half ago.
During this, he said, patients undergo extensive period of counselling.
“It was not something that could have happen overnight. It took a lot of planning and convincing,” Dr Rajkumar said.
The mission team comprised five medical professionals from the UK, Australia, Trinidad and Jamaica.
And according to Dr Rajkumar, this is the first time such a team was put together in the Caribbean.
The team commenced working last Friday and concluded on Monday. The average operating time for one surgery was six hours.
“The shortest case was actually three hours and forty minutes. The longest case was eight hours and thirty minutes. That’s people standing operating for that degree of time,” Dr Rajkumar said.
GPHC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Robbie Rambarran the initiative served as a capacity building and training so that the hospital can develop the necessary skillset that is needed for the continuity of these services.
Meanwhile, Dr Maniram Ragbir, BAAPS Plastic and reconstruction surgeon said the focus is to train local doctors independently in this area.
“This is the first time that BAAPS has ventured into the Caribbean. Normally we have concentrated our efforts in Africa and Asia and we are very grateful.
“You know with the best intention in the world, you can want to help people but unless they want to be helped there is very little you can do. We have got grate support from Guyana,” Dr Ragbir said.
The average cost for a breast reconstruction surgery is 300,000 pounds which is equivalent to 7.8 million Guyana dollars.
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