Prime Minister, the Right Honorable Dr Keith Mitchell is urging healthcare workers in Grenada to focus on delivering quality service to patients.
At the sod-turning ceremony for the new medical centre being constructed in Gouyave on Friday, Dr Mitchell said improved facilities alone, will not equate to improved service in the healthcare sector.
“We have to improve the quality of healthcare; we have to ensure that there are adequate numbers of nurses and doctors to service the facility; we have to ensure there is a caring mindset of caring among staff. People must feel free to seek healthcare and be comfortable knowing they are getting good service,” Dr Mitchell said.
The Prime Minister added, “How you treat the patient is important. The warmth, the love you show to people who walk into the health facility is crucial. The person who walks in, believing they are sick, if you treat them well, they go home feeling better already; but if they’re treated badly, they would feel sick, even if they were not actually sick before. Never underestimate the power of providing good service.”
Dr Mitchell acknowledged that while there may be various shortcomings in the healthcare sector, these are all secondary to the quality of care that is provided. He added that the provision of good service is not solely the responsibility of doctors and nurses but of all persons involved in the healthcare sector.
Though it will be physically located in Gouyave, the new health facility is intended to serve the residents of St John and St Mark.
Dr Mitchell said the new facility which will be completed in 18-months, is symbolic of the importance government places on healthcare in the country. “We must secure the health of our people if we are to reap the maximum benefits of all that we are doing in the country. If you do not have health, you do not have much; it affects your productivity, it affects every other aspect of your life and it affects the economic potential of the country.”
The project, estimated to cost EC$7.4 million, is funded by the European Union.
Office of the Prime Minister
