GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC)- Guyana’s Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony Wednesday said that country through the National Public Health Reference Lab (NPHRL), is now providing the World Health Organization (WHO) with samples to help design influenza vaccines.

He told the National Assembly that the supply of the influenza samples follows the accreditation of the NPHRL last year by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and that the facility is now among labs in the region conducting influenza surveillance.

“So, this year, the vaccines that are made for influenza, some of the samples came from our lab. Because as you know, every season, influenza season, the previous season, we take the samples from that to try to predict what type of vaccines you would need in the new year.

“So, we have been able to supply WHO with samples, and so the design of the vaccine for this year, is using some of the samples that we sent,” Dr Anthony told legislators during the Parliamentary Committee of Supply, which was considering the GUY$121 billion (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) allocation from the national budget for the health sector.

The health minister said that the ministry will be administering influenza vaccines to healthcare workers and the elderly.

“Previously, we have not been giving influenza vaccinations in Guyana, but this year, we will start by also giving influenza vaccination, and we would give them first to the healthcare workers and older people in our population,” he said, adding that the Pathology Lab at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has received GYS 170 certification and is now capable of conducting 14 histochemistry tests.

“We have at least 14 histochemistry tests, 14 histochemistry tests that we can now do at the lab, and among the other things that we are able to do. So, for example, if somebody had a biopsy for breast cancer, when in the past, maybe just about a year ago, if that biopsy came to the Georgetown Public Hospital, they took sometimes three months to turn that sample around. So, we are not able to do that within three to seven days. So, that is a faster turnaround, and we are able to give the person diagnosis,” Dr Anthony explained.

The health minister said the public health sector is also now able to conduct telepathology and that the strides being made are all important as the government forges ahead with the National Health Strategy, which is intended to improve the quality of healthcare services in the country.